Dubai: Team Giant-Alpecin’s John Degenkolb was not unduly disturbed about his second place overall finish at the Dubai Tour 2015 on Saturday.
Degenkolb went in with a narrow four-second lead over Mark Cavendish following a superb ride that ended on top of the Hatta Dam in Friday’s penultimate stage. The German team rider, whose teammate Marcel Kittel won three of the four stages at the inaugural edition in Dubai last season, fancied his chances against the more established rider from Etixx-Quick Step.
But at the end of the fourth stage at the Burj Khalifa on Saturday, Degenkolb finished in ninth losing out on the bonus time points earned by the top three finishers. “For sure I am a little disappointed to lose after coming so close to winning a race,” Degenkolb told media.
“If I have to look at the positives, I am very happy with the way things have worked out for me and for my team in this race. It has been a great start so early in the season and this can only help us in the long run during the year,” he added.
Asked to explain the possible cause that could have caused the slip on the final day the German rider said: “I think we started off pretty smart as a team, but the lead out was simply not good in the end. I was stuck too much behind and there was simply nothing that I could have done.”
Saturday’s final stage, called the Burj Stage over 123kms, started off with many attacks and counter-attacks from the start. It was BMC Team’s Daniel Oss breaking off after just six kilometres followed by Manuel Baoro [Tinkoff Saxo], Marco Canola [United Healthcare Pro Cycling], Maciej Paterski [CCC Sprandi Polkowice] and Francisco Mancebo from the home team of Skydive Dubai.
Boaro went on to claim the first of two intermediate sprints in front of Meydan ahead of Canola and Oss while the chasing peloton followed 3.35 minutes behind. By the end of 22kms, the front breakaway consisted of five riders with Mancebo and Paterski joining the front three. As the riders approached the Maktoum bridge from Deira there was a minor crash involving five cyclists that led to two riders from the Bardiani CSF team to abandon the race.
Boaro, meanwhile, was untouchable as he won the second intermediate sprint ahead of Canola, Oss, Paterski and Mancebo even as the chasing peloton cut down the lead to a mere one minute before turning in towards the straight Jumeirah Road coastline for the final 25 kms. “Mark [Cavendish] was never far away. I doubt this had anything to do with the tiredness of yesterday,” Degenkolb said.
