Peter Sagan
(Tinkoff-Saxo)
The Slovakian ace won the elite world road race championships in Richmond, Virginia, last month. Nicknamed ‘The Terminator’, in Abu Dhabi he will line-up for the first time in a race donning the rainbow jersey of the world champion and will be keen to finish the season on a high. Sagan has impressed all year and won stages in almost every tour around the world, plus points jerseys and one-day races like Gent-Wevelgem and the E3 Harelbeke.
Vincenzo Nibali
(Team Astana)
Italian Nibali, the 2014 Tour de France champion, won the Giro di Lombardia in style last week to claim his first Monument one-day classic victory. Nibali’s previous best result in the Monuments was third place in Milan-San Remo and second in Liege-Bastogne-Liege in 2012. He will be a strong contender in the UAE with the likes of Italian Fabio Aru and Diego Rosa to support him in the team.
Tom Dumoulin
(Team Giant-Alpecin)
Dumoulin is a time-trial specialist, having claimed a bronze medal in the 2014 World Time Trial Championships. However, this season he stunned everyone, including himself, with his climbing ability. He came close to winning the 2015 Vuelta a Espana, just missing out on becoming the first Dutch rider to win a grand tour since 1980. Dumoulin will back himself to do well during the testing climb of Jabel Hafeet in the third stage, which could well prove to be the decider.
Tom Boonen
(Etixx Quick-Step)
Known as the ‘King of the Desert’, Boonen’s track record of success in this part of the world makes him and his team a front-runner for the overall title. Having got the opportunity of being Quick-Step’s lead rider in the absence of Mark Cavendish, Boonen will be more than keen to grab the opportunity with both hands. He holds a record of 22 stage wins and four titles at the Tour of Qatar and comes into the race having won the Sparkassen Munsterland Giro in Germany last week.
