With the Dubai Tour starting Wednesday with a 9.9-kilometre time trial in Dubai, the race is drawing big names, including World Champion Rui Costa, Grand Tour winners Ryder Hesjedal, Vincenzo Nibali, and Alejandro Valverde among them, but the real story will be the first showdown of the season between top sprinters Mark Cavendish, Marcel Kittel and Peter Sagan.
The first stage is a 9,9km individual time trial through the wide boulevards of Dubai that should see Fabian Cancellara or World Champion Tony Martin taking the victory.
The sprinters will have their shots in stages 2 and 4 while stage 3 leaves the city of Dubai and heads into the desert country, and features some smaller climbs, including two ramps in the closing 50 kilometers that could suit Hesjedal, who makes his season debut for Garmin-Sharp, or Joaquim Rodríguez.
[youtube]http://youtu.be/-cDbKohCdQw[/youtube]
The race is expected to be broadcasted across more than 120 countries with riders from 16 teams battling across four stages and 417.9 kilometres for the leaders jersey’s designed by the Italian fashion brand Versace and produced by Castelli.
Stage 1 – 5th February 2014: World Trade Center-World Trade Center
Stage 2 – 6th February 2014: Dubai-Palm Jumeirah
Stage 3 – 7th February 2014: Dubai-Hatta
Stage 4 – 8th February 2014: Dubai-Burj Khalifa
For more information: dubaitour.com
Team Garmin-Sharp roster for Dubai Tour:
Tyler Farrar
Lasse Hansen
Ryder Hesjedal
Raymond Kreder
Sebastian Langeveld
Ramunas Navardauskas
Dylan Van Baarle
Johan Vansummeren
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