No, you’re not dreaming, there really is bike racing in Abu Dhabi just a mere four months after we watched it last time. This time a star-studded professional peloton will compete in the newly upgraded WorldTour version for the last part of the desert racing season.
Stage 1: Baynounah Educational Complex to Madinat Zayed, 189km
Mark Cavendish claimed his first win of the season after a faultless lead out from his Dimension Data team. In a crash strewn final 5km, the Manx Missile held of a late charge from Lotto-Soudal’s Andre Greipel with Niccolo Bonifazio (Bahrain-Merida) rounding out the podium. There’s a veritable smörgåsbord of sprinting talent in Abu Dhabi. Unfortunately both Caleb Ewan (Orica-Scott) and Marcel Kittel (Quick Step Floors) hit the deck as the road narrowed after the final corner at the flamme rouge.
Highlights…
OUCH…
Poor Owain Doull (Sky) can’t catch a break with his World Tour debut. Taken out of the Tour Down Under with a ruptured appendix and now involved in a high speed crash with Kittel on his first race back.
As for the disc-brake allegations, that story is going to run and run. Cycling Tips has a comprehensive feature on this latest bone of contention.
#BabyBlackbird down…
Both Trek-Segafredo GC contenders (Contador and Mollema) were involved in a crash just before the 3km mark. Teammates leapt into action and brought them back.
Behind the scenes…
We love Andre and his antic on the Yas Marina F1 track …
Full report at Cycling News.
Race Website Race Twitter #RideToAbuDhabi
Header image: Mark Cavendish in the race leader’s jersey ©KT/Tim De Waele/Corbis via Getty Images