John Degenkolb of Trek-Segafredo claimed his first win of the year at the end of an action packed stage. Earlier, the peloton split into echelons, fighting crosswinds in the desert. However, it was another bunch sprint finish after the leading quartet of Mark Christian (Aqua Blue Sport), Alex Dowsett (Movistar Team), Loïc Vliegen (BMC Racing Team) and Luka Pibernik (Bahrain - Merida) were closed down and Kittel retained the blue jersey ahead of tomorrow's uphill finish at Hatta Dam where Degenkolb was victorious two years ago.
To be noted, the Commisaires Panel decided to disqualify the rider Andrey Grivko (Astana Pro Team) due to "Acts of violence among riders", according to Article 12.1.040 30.1, and a 200 CHF fine.
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STAGE RESULT
1 - John Degenkolb (Trek - Segafredo), 200km in 4h03’08”, average speed 49.355km/h
2 - Reinardt Janse van Rensburg (Team Dimension Data) s.t.
3 - Sonny Colbrelli (Bahrain - Merida) s.t.
GENERAL CLASSIFICATION
1 - Marcel Kittel (Quick-Step Floors)
2 - Dylan Groenewegen (Team Lotto NL - Jumbo) at 0:08"
3 - John Degenkolb (Trek - Segafredo) at 0:10"
JERSEYS
- The Blue Jersey, sponsored by the Commercial Bank of Dubai (General individual classification by time) - Marcel Kittel (Quick-Step Floors)
- The Red Jersey, sponsored by Emirates (General individual classification by points) - Marcel Kittel (Quick-Step Floors) - the Red Jersey will be worn tomorrow by John Degenkolb (Trek - Segafredo), second in the General individual classification by points after Marcel Kittel (Blue Jersey)
- The White Jersey, sponsored by RTA - Roads and Transport Authority (Best Young Rider born after 1 January 1992) - Dylan Groenewegen (Team Lotto NL - Jumbo)
- The UAE Flag Jersey, sponsored by DHA - Dubai Health Authority (Intermediate Sprint Jersey Classification) - Nicola Boem (Bardiani CSF)
H.E. Saeed Hareb, Dubai Sports Council General Secretary, said at the end of the stage: “We thank the riders and their sport directors for their professionalism in the special circumstances of racing today with gusts of wind and sand in the first part of the stage.”
PRESS CONFERENCE
The stage winner, John Degenkolb, said: “The last two kilometers were pretty hard. We as a team kept calm and waited for the moment. The most important thing was to stay together – the timing was right. I’m super happy to give the team this victory. It’s a great signal for my motivation ahead of the Spring classisc. I’m very satisfied with my shape but I’m still far away from my best; Milan-Sanremo is my first goal. Tomorrow is a big chance for us again. I won in Hatta Dam two years ago... but there are other very strong guys here.”
Race leader Marcel Kittel said: “I’m happy that I have no more injury than a cut on my face. Andriy Grivko made a choice [to punch] but it was for sure the wrong one. What he did is disappointing for the sport. I might have lost my focus for the sprint but I’m glad I’m still in the lead. The organizers of the Dubai Tour are very well known for taking the right decisions when it comes to extreme weather so I’m hoping for good racing conditions tomorrow. It would be nice to retain the overall title.”
Best young rider Dylan Groenewegen said: “We had really hard racing conditions today. At the end, I had no speed left. It was the same for some other sprinters I think. Tomorrow, there’s a little climb at the end. Maybe I’d better keep my ambitions for Saturday’s final stage.”
Intermediate sprints leader Nicola Boem said: “It’s been a very difficult stage today because of the wind. In these circumstances, the big teams are stronger than us but we’ve managed to defend the jersey as we got back on after the echelons were formed. Tomorrow’s stage suits me well. I hope to do something good and bring home this distinctive jersey.”
2017 DUBAI TOUR TV COVERAGE
The 2017 Dubai Tour will be shown in 182 countries, across all five continents: another great step forward compared to the last edition. Twelve TV networks will broadcast the race live.
Dubai Sports, host broadcaster of the event, will produce and offer its audience the full coverage of each stage – from the first pedal turn to the final sprint – in the United Arab Emirates and across the Middle East and North Africa region with both Arabic and English commentary. Special studio shows before and after each stage, with international cycling experts, will enrich the domestic coverage.
Eurosport will broadcast the race live on its European and Asia Pacific networks, covering almost 70 countries. In France l’Equipe will broadcast the event exclusively on its free-to-air channel.
The ESPN network will show pictures from Dubai Tour in 35 territories throughout all Spanish-speaking South America, Brazil and the Caribbean, while TDN holds exclusive rights for Mexico and Central America. North American cycling fans will be offered live coverage in both the USA and Canada on fuboTV; on the other side of Pacific Ocean, the event will be broadcast in Japan thanks to the live sports streaming platform DAZN. To complete the global framework, Kwese Sports will bring the Dubai Tour live in all Sub-Saharan Africa except for South Africa, which is covered by Supersport.
Press RCS Sport Ciclismo
