Defending champion Marcel Kittel made it a magnificent seven of stage victories at the Dubai Tour as he edged a chaotic second day to maintain his stranglehold on the 2017 edition.
Kittel, 28, had been given a perfect lead-out as he powered to victory during Tuesday’s opener of the fourth edition. It was not so simple for the German speed merchant when the event ended in Ras Al Khaimah for the first time on Wednesday, after 186 kilometres of pancake-flat running.
His Quick-Step Floors team was first swamped two km from the finish line and then caught out by a tight corner before the final straight. Despite these disadvantages, the nine-time Tour de France stage winner burst past the flagging Dylan Groenewegen of Team Lotto NL- Jumbo to prevail in four hours, 25 minutes and 33 seconds.
This turbo charge edged out fellow sprinting heavyweights Mark Cavendish of Team Dimension Data for Qhubeka, Team Sky’s Elia Viviani and Trek-Segafredo’s John Degenkolb.
It also ensured Kittel is still in possession of the general classification and points jerseys ahead of Thursday’s 200 km third stage from Dubai International Marine Club to Al Aqah on the east coast.
He said: “Today was a completely different finish. There were not so many possibilities to stretch out the peloton just before we came to the finish line.
“If we could make a positive criticism, as a team, I think we came really late into the last corner, which in the end, also didn’t give us the chance to go for it, lead out like we could yesterday. It was a moment where you almost start thinking, ‘Oh, now it’s over maybe’. That’s the wrong way to think about it.
“One of my ex-sports directors used to say, ‘It finishes only at the finish line’. I think that mentality kept me in contention for victory today. It’s nice to win like this, when you are going wheel to wheel.”
The hectic finale showcased the chaos present in bunch finishes. The front of the peloton constantly changed with 1.5 km to go, Lotto NL moving to the left and Quick-Step and Dimension Data finding themselves on the right.
Here are your 4 jersey holders heading into tomorrow's Stage 3#DubaiTour pic.twitter.com/CtIcZMdrMH
— Dubai Tour (@dubaitour) February 1, 2017
Lotto NL’s Dutch National Road Race Championship Groenewegen then seemed perfectly positioned 200 metres out before he was dramatically overtaken by Kimmel. Despite seeing a stage win slip away, the 23-year-old revealed his burgeoning confidence after moving into second place for both major jerseys.
“This is a great attempt from me to get a second day second place,” Groenewegen said. “Tomorrow, we will try again. “Kittel is very strong, even though we tried hard. We moved too early to the right. It was a big road so we came home later where we were too early and the sprint was long.
“Last year was a good year and this year we are there trying again to see where we can be. Maybe we just keep on trying and see how much better and stronger we can get with time. Luckily, the sprinter in me is getting better as well.”
The result continued a frustrating start for 2015 winner Cavendish. A puncture deflated his hopes on Tuesday, while Groenewegen squeezed him out on Wednesday.
He said: “I went to go with them and then [Roberto] Ferrari [of UAE Abu Dhabi] came up and just went whack. He didn’t do anything wrong, he did his sprint but I didn’t want to fight and crash in a sprint in February.
“After that, I went on the right side but there was no way through. We were coming up super fast and I could see Kittel on the left. In my opinion I was going faster than him. Then the Dutch champion guy Groenewegen went along the barrier.
“I was forced on the brakes with 100 metres to go and that was it. That’s sprinting. I was quite happy with how I felt. The team wasn’t quite as good as the first sprint, but they were still good.
“There were more risks bring taken today and so it was more sketch. I’m happy having a go. I need to be at my very best in July, more than anything – I’ll be right in July.”
