Leader Taylor Phinney believes it would take “something pretty drastic” to prevent him from claiming the inaugural Dubai Tour title today after retaining the blue jersey through stage three.
The American was again beaten by German Marcel Kittel for the second straight stage but Phinney continues to be the man to beat going into the final day with a lead of 15 seconds in the overall classification.
Friday’s third stage – the Nature Stage – concluded in Hatta after 162km of cycling with Phinney crossing the line with a time of 03:47:52.
The American plans to play a conservative game during today’s Old Dubai Stage and ride home safely with the blue jersey.
“One stage to go, nothing given, it’s an unpredictable sport,” said Phinney, who leads BMC teammate Steven Cummings by 15 seconds with Garmin Sharp’s Danish rider Lasse Norman Hansen a further two seconds back. “We’ll try to stay out of trouble in Dubai.
People will want to sprint, it’s not supposed to be super windy, we’ll get tomorrow out of the way, stay up front and stay safe and we’ll see.
“For sure, I plan to stay and be conservative. There will be times when I’ll need to be aggressive and make a move if something happens, but it should be pretty controlled by the sprinter teams. We’ll see if I get excited or not and want to sprint.
“There’s only one jersey I care about, the overall classification. The young riders should come naturally. We’d have to have something pretty drastic to lose the jersey so we’ll stay safe, stay out front and stay out of trouble.”
Victory today could prove the turning point for Phinney’s career, who at 23 is being tipped for big things in 2014.
BMC Racing sport director Max Sciandri was delighted with the American’s victory in the first stage on Wednesday as it showcased his ability to win in a big race, but now the young rider from Boulder, Colorado faces a different challenge.
Another rider shaping up for a big year is Kittel, who is in seventh place despite the 25-year-old’s two stage wins so far in the Emirates.
The German, cycling for Team Giant – Shimano, is a full 33 seconds behind Phinney going into the final stage today. But the young star isn’t ready to throw in the towel yet.
“I’m super happy with my shape, I have good legs and I’m really looking forward to tomorrow,” said Kittel. “Today was the hardest stage and now I’m just looking forward to the sprint.”
