Dubai: Olympic Champion Bradley Wiggins, defending champion Mark Cavendish, Fabian Cancellara and Marcel Kittel are some of the star attractions for the third edition of the Dubai Tour starting from February 3-6.
In all, 16 teams will be competing in the Tour that features four stages covering a distance of 671km – 8km more than last year. The highlight of the tour, this year, is that the race will run beyond the boundaries of Dubai.
For Wiggins, this is the Olympic year and all preparations from here on will be keeping in mind the title defence for Britain at Rio. The Dubai Tour will also serve as a build-up for the Track World Championships in his backyard in London, where he will ride in the team pursuit. What makes the Team Wiggins line-up formidable is the presence of Owain Doull and Jonathan Dibben in its ranks.
Sprint ace Cavendish comes into the race after a low-key road season debut with Dimension Data at the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race in Australia on Sunday. Cavendish withdrew from the 173.9km race, which his compatriot Peter Kennaugh (Sky) won, with a lap to go. The 30-year-old, who said after the race that he was disappointed with the showing but was not worried about his form, will be keen to retain his title and prove a point.
Cancellara, who will retire at the end of this season, will be another rider to watch out for as he has shown top early-season form after winning the third and arguably toughest day at the Mallorca Challenge - Trofeo Serra de Tramuntana. Cancellara will be keen to carry on his good work and impress in Dubai before heading to Volta ao Algarve in Portugal.
German star Kittel will be keen to regain his form and make his presence felt on his debut with Etixx-QuickStep straight away. He signed for the Belgian team at the backdrop of a difficult 2015 season with Giant-Alpecin, where he struggled with illness and was sidelined in the Tour de France.
Six riders from the Giant-Alpecin team were injured in a crash during their training camp in Alicante, Spain, last week. Though the team issued a statement that all of the riders are stable, it is still not clear how many of the cyclists involved in the crash will be fit for the Dubai Tour. Warren Barguil, John Degenkolb, Chad Haga, Fredrik Ludvigsson, Ramon Sinkeldam and Max Walscheid were hospitalised after they crashed when a car drove across the road.
BMC Racing, who won the overall classification in the 2014 inaugural season with Taylor Phinney, will be looking toward former World Champion Philippe Gilbert to deliver the goods.
Also keep a close watch on Classics contenders Lars Boom (Astana) and Philippe Gilbert (BMC) who will begin their campaigns in Dubai along with former world champion Rui Costa (Lampre-Merida).
Stage 1: Fujairah Stage (Dubai-Fujairah) 179km will pass through Sharjah and Ras Al Khaimah. The cyclists will visit four different Emirates and see coastal mosques and fortresses before going past the Silicon Oasis and sand dunes towards the highest mountain range - Hajar Mountains. There will also be a 6.6km two-lap finishing circuit before heading for the tape at Fujairah.
Stage 2: The Nakheel Stage (Dubai-Palm Jumeirah) 188km will venture out into the desert, passing the Camel Track and Al Qudra bike path before heading on tarmac for the furious bunch sprint to finish at the picturesque Palm Jumeirah, in front of the Atlantis Hotel.
Stage 3: The Westin Stage (Dubai-Hatta Dam) 172km will feature terrain that can become increasingly challenging, especially in the final 50km with two climbs and descents. It involves a 200-metre testing steep climb towards Hatta Dam. The winner of this stage can make a significant impact on the outcome of the overall standings.
Stage 4: Burj Stage (Dubai-Dubai), will be a city-based 132km course. It will run around the towering skyline of Dubai before finishing beneath the tallest building in the world - Burj Khalifa. The bonus seconds system (10 for the stage winner, six for second place, four for third place) also remains unchanged.
Team and leaders for the Dubai Tour: Astana Pro Team: Lars Boom, Andrea Guardini; BMC: Philippe Gilbert; Dimension Data: Mark Cavendish; Etixx-QuickStep: Marcel Kittel, Tony Martin; Lampre-Merida: Sacha Modolo, Rui Costa; Movistar Team: Giovanni Visconti, Alex Dowsett; Team Giant-Alpecin: (Line-up to be confirmed); Team Sky: Elia Viviani; Tinkoff: Daniele Bennati; Trek Segafredo: Fabian Cancellara, Stijn Devolder; CCC Sprandi Polkowice: Davide Rebellin; One Pro Cycling: Matthew Harley Goss; Team Novo Nordisk: Stephen Clancy; Al Nasr Pro Cycling Team Dubai: Yousif Mirza; Skydive Dubai Pro Cycling Team: Ivan Santaromita; Team Wiggins: Bradley Wiggins.
