Abu Dhabi Tour (2018) Photos February 21 - 25

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Pre-Race Training at Yas Marina race track	Mark Cavendish
	Sunweb's Wilco KELDERMAN and Tom DUMOULIN	Photo-op with Dumoulin, Viviani, Valvarde, Costa, Cavendish, Dennis, Aru, Kittel
Race favorites press-conference	Elia Viviani (ITA - Quick-Step Floors): “I’ve had an amazing start to the season in Australia, which continued with winning the Dubai Tour, but I want more. I’ve spent one week at home after a long way away. For the Abu Dhabi Tour, we have a very strong team and Julian Alaphilippe for GC. The world’s best sprinters are here. The addition of André Greipel and Caleb Ewan will not change the dynamic of the sprints we had in Dubai – we expect really powerful sprints again.”	Marcel Kittel (GER - Katusha Alpecin): “I have good memories from the Abu Dhabi Tour and I came very well motivated. We had a good start in Dubai and we want to do even better here, but we will not only focus on sprinting, we’ll also try to win GC [with Ilnur Zakarin].”
Mark Cavendish (British Isles - Team Dimension Data): “My legs were all right again in Oman after my stage victory in Dubai. It makes it a long time racing in the Middle East, but it’s an honor to come back to Abu Dhabi. We have a GC team here, I’ll be missing my lead out guys who are injured or sick, but I want to be successful.”	Rohan Dennis (AUS - BMC Racing Team): “I recently got married, so this trip to Abu Dhabi is like a honeymoon for me. After my wedding in Australia, I spent one week in Girona, Spain, so I went from heat to cold and back to heat again. The Time Trial is only 12km long, so I don’t think it’s gonna play that much importance in the final result.”	Fabio Aru (ITA - UAE Team Emirates): “For sure I’m delighted to start the season with my new team here. It’s my third time racing the Abu Dhabi Tour. The Time Trial makes it a slightly different race this time. It’ll put more riders into the mix for the overall victory.”
Tom Dumoulin (NED - Team Sunweb): “I just saw my time trial world champion jersey. It’s amazing, so I’m looking forward to wearing it. The Abu Dhabi Tour has a perfect course for me with the Time Trial and the uphill finish. We came here with a good team, including Wilco Kelderman riding for GC.”	Alejandro Valverde (ESP - Movistar Team): “I’ve fully recovered from my crash at the Tour de France last year and I’ve started the new season well with a victory in Valencia. The Abu Dhabi Tour is a great race: this is my second participation and I hope to enjoy it a lot.”	Last year's overall winner, Rui Costa (POR - UAE Team Emirates): “The new route with a Time Trial changes the tactic. But Jabel Hafeet remains a hard climb, it’s 25 minutes of climbing. It’s not easy to be the defending champion and, racing on home soil we have many motivated riders like Aru, Kristoff and Ulissi.”

Stage 1:  Madinat Zaya → Adnoc School, 189 km  Full Results and Report

Mark Cavendish after his crash	Getting checked out again	Mark Cavendish abandons early on Stage 1
The break	The chasing peloton
Sprint finish in full flight in da Madinat Zayed a Adnoc School	The winning margin...	Alexander KRISTOFF (NOR/UAE TEAM EMIRATES) wins Stage 1 in 4:48:24 ahead of 2nd Andrea GUARDINI (ITA/BARDIANI CSF), 3r Caleb EWAN (AUS/MITCHELTON - SCOTT), 4th Elia VIVIANI (ITA/QUICK - STEP FLOORS), 5th Daniel MCLAY (GBR/EF EDUCATION FIRST - DRAPAC), 6th Niccolo BONIFAZIO (ITA/BAHRAIN - MERIDA), 7th Michael BRESCIANI (ITA/BARDIANI CSF)
Winner's Post-Race Reaction: “In the final straight line, I lost my lead-out man Roberto Ferrari but I found the wheel of Caleb Ewan. He's a really good sprinter but I managed to come around him and keep the lead all the way till the line despite the head wind. It's a great win for me and also for the team on home ground. Now we can turn the pressure down a little bit. This is our home race. It's fantastic for me to take my second win of the season here after the last stage of the Tour of Oman last week. I have to thank my team-mates. I wouldn't have done it without them. It's a great feeling to win as a team.”	Your Stage 1 winner, Alexander KRISTOFF (NOR/UAE TEAM EMIRATES)	There ought to be a law against dropping confetti on the race leader after Stage 1 ;-)

Stage 2:  Yas Mal → Yas Beach, 154 km  Full Results and Report

Stage 2 rollout from Yas Mall
	Crosswinds	Sprint finish at Yas Beach
Finish scenery	Elia VIVIANI (ITA/QUICK - STEP FLOORS) wins Stage 2 in 3:15:30, 2nd Danny VAN POPPEL (NED/LOTTO NL - JUMBO), 3rd Pascal ACKERMANN (GER/BORA - HANSGROHE), 4th Kristoffer HALVORSEN (NOR/SKY), 5th Caleb EWAN (AUS/MITCHELTON - SCOTT)	Stage winner and race leader Elia Viviani: “We were ready to be the first team to create echelons, we did it 5km before and it came back together. When Lotto and Movistar went for it, we missed the moment. We were relaxed at the wrong time. They opened the gap. I told my team-mates to wait for me, not the GC riders but my lead-out train. Alexander Kristoff and other sprinters were with me, so we could close the gap. We knew the last part of the race was with a headwind. I feel lucky to have Quick-Step for leading me out: three guys are able to accelerate at the same speed I sprint. Now I just have to stay focused on Fabio Sabatini’s wheel. He knows when to make an effort. He’s the best lead-out man in the world. He’s a different Saba than the team-mate I had at Liquigas before. With Max Richeze, we actually have the two best lead out men in the world, not just one.”

Stage 3:  Nation Towers → Big Flag, 133 km  Full Results and Report

Race leader, Elia VIVIANI (ITA/QUICK-STEP FLOORS)
Phil BAUHAUS (GER/SUNWEB) wins the Stage 3 bike throw finish in 3:02:55 ahead of 2nd Marcel KITTEL (GER/KATUSHA ALPECIN), 3rd Pascal ACKERMANN (GER/BORA - HANSGROHE), 4th Elia VIVIANI (ITA/QUICK - STEP FLOORS), 5th Caleb EWAN (AUS/MITCHELTON - SCOTT), 6th André GREIPEL (GER/LOTTO SOUDAL)		The narrow winning margin
Stage 3 winner, Phil BAUHAUS (GER/SUNWEB)	Race leader, Elia VIVIANI (ITA/QUICK-STEP FLOORS) by 3s

Stage 4:  Al Maryah Island → Al Maryah Island, 11 km  Full Results and Report

Stage 4 ITT spectators		More scenery from the Maryanh Island 11 km Time Trial
Rohan DENNIS (AUS/BMC RACING) in the start house	Rohan DENNIS (AUS/BMC RACING)	Rohan DENNIS (AUS/BMC RACING)
Rohan DENNIS (AUS/BMC RACING) wins the Stage 4 ITT in 14:21	Rohan DENNIS (AUS/BMC RACING)	2nd Jonathan CASTROVIEJO (ESP/SKY) + 14s
Tom DUMOULIN (NED/SUNWEB) preparing for the Stage 4 ITT... unfortunately, his bike preparations weren't good enough	Tom DUMOULIN (NED/SUNWEB) down the ramp... his first TT in the World's TT kit	Tom DUMOULIN (NED/SUNWEB) and his rainbow bike
Rainbow bike change; Tom Dumoulin's TT bike can't go 11 km without breaking down in his World's TT kit debut.. 12th Tom DUMOULIN (NED/SUNWEB) + 31s	Your Stage 4 ITT winner, Rohan DENNIS (AUS/BMC RACING)	And new race leader, Rohan DENNIS (AUS/BMC RACING) heading into the final day summit finish

Stage 5:  Qasr Al Muwaiji → Jebel Hafeet, 199 km  Full Results and Report

The morning race leader, Rohan DENNIS (AUS/BMC RACING) suffered on the final climb finishing 23rd + 1:43	Tom Dumoulin glum after yesterday's TT misfortune and a crash earlier in the race. He had another mechanical today and a fit of rage.	Start scene in Qasr Al Muwaiji
Early break
Beautiful scenery from the Jebel Hafeet summit finish	Jebel Hafeet summit finish	Jebel Hafeet summit finish
Davide FORMOLO (ITA/BORA - HANSGROHE) who finished 6th + 37s followed Alejandro VALVERDE (ESP/MOVISTAR)	Miguel Angel LOPEZ MORENO (COL/ASTANA), Alejandro VALVERDE (ESP/MOVISTAR) and Julian ALAPHILIPPE (FRA/QUICK - STEP FLOORS) who finished 3rd on the stage + 15s	Attack by Miguel Angel LOPEZ MORENO (COL/ASTANA)
Alejandro VALVERDE (ESP/MOVISTAR) catches Miguel Angel LOPEZ MORENO (COL/ASTANA) near the end of the Jebel Hafeet summit finish	Alejandro VALVERDE (ESP/MOVISTAR) and Miguel Angel LOPEZ MORENO (COL/ASTANA)	He never fails to win a sprint on a summit finish, 1st Alejandro VALVERDE (ESP/MOVISTAR) in 4:38:47 ahead of Miguel Angel LOPEZ MORENO (COL/ASTANA)
Your Stage 5 winner, Alejandro VALVERDE (ESP/MOVISTAR)		Your 2018 Abu Dhabi Tour GC podium: 2nd Wilco KELDERMAN (NED/SUNWEB) + 17s, 1st Alejandro VALVERDE (ESP/MOVISTAR) in 16:00:01, 3rd Miguel Angel LOPEZ MORENO (COL/ASTANA) + 29s
No matter the time of year, this guy is a winning machine