Cavendish thrilled by progress of Abu Dhabi Tour

Matt Jones - Editor 07:30 25/01/2017
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  • The Briton was named the official Tour ambassador for the inaugural event, staged in 2015, although he missed the race due to injury. A year later he won two of the four stages and was crowned general classification champion.

    Now he is preparing to appear at the third edition of a race which has been granted UCI WorldTour status.

    Of the 18 teams, 16 will feature in Abu Dhabi, which has been moved higher up the calendar, and will take place from February 23-26.

    The Manx Missile is a huge fan of the Emirates and believes the speed with which its achieved World Tour status speaks volumes for the quality of the race.

    “It’s great to think that in just its third year the Abu Dhabi Tour is in the top tier of cycling,” the 31-year-old told Sport360.

    “It’s massively significant, not just for the race but for Abu Dhabi as a whole, as well as the UAE and Middle East, to show that the sport’s grown here, not just on a professional level but recreationally too.

    “There’s 3,000 people a week racing at Yas Marina Circuit on bicycles which shows it’s getting very big here. Elevating its status to a WorldTour really shows that.

    “It’s already hit the highest status but for sure it’s the biggest race in the Middle East.

    “(Organisers) The Abu Dhabi Sports Council and RCS won’t settle for that though, they’ll want it to grow, they’ll want to attract riders, the coverage and show what the country is about. I think that’s the way it can grow.”

    Cavendish claimed the second of his two stage wins in October on the final Yas Marina Stage, completing the 26 laps of the Formula One circuit in 3h 07′ 44″ ahead of Trek-Segafredo’s Giacomo Nizzolo and Team Sky’s Elia Viviani.

    The 2017 event was launched a stone’s throw away at Yas Marina yesterday, where the four stage jerseys were unveiled as well as an elongated course. The route will be 117km longer this year, in tune with being elevated to WorldTour status.

    The Red jersey will represent the General Classification by time category, the Green jersey the Points Classification by points, the White jersey the Best Young Rider and the Black jersey the Intermediate Sprint Classification.

    Aref Al Awani, general secretary of the Abu Dhabi Sports Council, believes the upgrade for the Tour will produce an even better race than the previous two editions.

    “We are very proud and thankful of achieving WorldTour status in just our third year. It’s a big thing to accomplish,” he said.

    “It’s a more suitable time of year. It’s perfect for us. We expect more fans. The UCI wanted one of the WorldTour events to be in the region.

    “It guarantees a bigger number of teams coming to race as they want to collect more points, and this is a big bonus for us. Having more popularity among the riders and being more competitive is something special for everyone.”

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