Dubai: Sir Bradley Wiggins and his young team may not have made much impact in the Dubai Tour 2016, but it didn’t mean the world hour record holder and four-time Olympic gold medallist went unnoticed.
Wiggins, in the pre-Tour press briefing, had said, ‘expect nothing from me and my team’. However, his reason to be at the Middle East’s most sought after tourist destination, would hopefully, have been served – to get as much mileage as possible for his Wiggins Team comprising mostly under-25 riders and looking to make a mark on the international scene.
Wiggins Team was formed a year ago and enjoyed a successful first season, the highlights of which were Wiggins breaking the UCI Hour Record and Owain Doull finishing third overall at the Tour of Britain.
At the Dubai Tour, his young riders donned the new 2016 blue-and-red T-shirt with the Wiggins name embossed across the chest along with the Royal Air Force-style logo on the back and they could be distinctly spotted in the peloton.
Though the team were often lagging at the back of the chasing pack, the youngsters did surprise at times with some sudden bursts towards the end of the stages.
Rubbing shoulders with the likes of Mark Cavendish, Marcel Kittel, Elia Viviani would have done a world of good for the motivated designated sprinters like Christopher Latham. Other reputed riders in the team, like Andrew Tennant and Tour of Britain points competition winner Doull would have also put in all their efforts to make their presence felt as they are aiming to make it to the British pursuit squad ahead of the Rio Olympics along with Wiggins.
With the TV coverage being the ‘best-ever’ since the inaugural Tour in 2014 as per event chairman Saeed Hareb, Wiggins’ star power would have certainly given his programme sponsors - Rapha, Pinarello, Jaguar and Sky their money’s worth.
The event has served its cause and was as an ideal build-up for the upcoming world track championship and for the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro later this summer, according to Wiggins.
“I think the purpose has been served as there was not much for me to do other than try and get to the front. It was enjoyable really; we were on the track and now it is around three-and-half weeks for the Worlds,” said Wiggins, adding: “We are working on the last, standing 2ks, standing 1ks. I think we will be ready for the Worlds on that day as the group is doing well.”
The other major winner from this Tour was undoubtedly the Big German Marcel Kittel. With the overall title, he proved that he was the perfect choice for Etixx- Quick-Step and has not lost his sheen after a forgettable 2015 marred by illness.
For British ace sprinter Mark Cavendish, who won the event in 2015, the Dubai Tour has been a testing one as he had to leave empty-handed. Cavendish has very little time to get back to the drawing board and re-think on the team’s strategy that fell flat on all four days, as they resume battle again on the desert tracks of Qatar in a day’s time.
The third edition was a significant one as both the local teams made significant contributions: Skydive Dubai Pro Cycling Team and the newly-formed Al Nasr Pro Cycling Team both heralding their arrival on the big stage with intermediate sprint wins.
