Dubai Tour (2018) Photos Feb 6 - 10

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The top riders pre-race press conference before the Dubai Tour	Mark Cavendish is looking forward to putting 2017 behind him
The press
Mark Cavendish (British Isles - Team Dimension Data): “When I won the overall classification in 2015, it was the first Dubai Tour without a time trial. I was with Quick Step at the time. I had a great lead out train and I got through the hard stage to Hatta Dam. The amount of sprints here makes it very attractive. I spend a lot of time in Dubai, so it’s nice to be back.”	Alexander Kristoff (NOR - UAE Team Emirates): “For sure, this race is important for my new team – it’s our home ground – but the Dubai Tour is no less important for the other sprinters sitting next to me. The level of sprinting here is very high. There’ll be a tough competition. I did some work with my new team-mates, but it’s difficult to train all together when some of us are racing in Australia and Argentina. I’m pretty fresh. I’ll try day by day to be a winner.”	H.E. Saeed Hareb, Dubai Sports Council General Secretary: “Thanks to the riders all the friends of the Dubai for being back for the fifth edition. Five years means a lot to us. We’ve had top champions here every year and it’s no different this time. I’m happy to see them. Dubai is a great destination for people from all around the world. We’ll race in every Emirate, sometimes on flat roads, sometimes in the hills. We have a new starting location for every stage: Skydive, which is walking distance from The Westin Dubai Mina Seyahi. I’m looking forward to another great show over the next five days.”
		Marcel Kittel (GER - Katusha Alpecin): “I came here like every year for my first race of the season. I’ve changed team but my motivation is the same. We’ll try our best to go for the victory, but we’ll take it day by day, as we’re not yet concentrated on scoring the hat trick. Elia Viviani certainly has a very good team, with my old train, but I also have a strong team with a lot of German speaking riders. I’m curious to find out how good we are.”
	Elia Viviani (ITA - Quick-Step Floors): “I’ve had a really good winter with my new team and I've already got a stage win [at the Santos Tour Down Under in Australia]. I enjoy racing for Quick Step Floors. This team is very focus on sprinting. It makes a difference for me. Stage 1 has a really nice finish – I’ve won there two times – positioning before the final straight is crucial, depending on the crosswinds.”
Nacer Bouhanni (FRA - Cofidis, Solutions Credits): “This is the first time for Cofidis riding the Dubai Tour. Our team has a new management this year. A few things have changed but my preparation has remained pretty much the same. I’m happy to come here and compete with the world’s best sprinters.”		John Degenkolb (GER - Trek-Segafredo): “I’ve enjoyed it every time I come here. Dubai is a great place, I even came here on holiday once. It’s nice to start the season here. The organization of the race is excellent with a good combination of sprints and I really like the finish to Hatta Dam. I have great memories of it, not from when I crossed the finish line but the emotion afterwards. You have to dig really deep to win that finale. Our team has had a superb start to the year in Argentina. The atmosphere was great also in Mallorca where we already won the first stage.”
Sprinters photo-op	Teams presentation

Stage 1:  Skydive Dubai → Palm Jumeirah, 167 km  Full Results and Report

		Stage 1 finish in Dubai
Dylan GROENEWEGEN (NED/LOTTO NL - JUMBO) wins Stage 1 ahead 2nd Magnus Cort NIELSEN (DEN/ASTANA), 3rd Elia VIVIANI (ITA/QUICK - STEP FLOORS), 4th Alexander KRISTOFF (NOR/UAE TEAM EMIRATES), 5th Nacer BOUHANNI (FRA/COFIDIS, SOLUTIONS CREDITS)	Stage 1 winner, Dylan GROENEWEGEN (NED/LOTTO NL - JUMBO)	And first race leader, Dylan GROENEWEGEN (NED/LOTTO NL - JUMBO)

Stage 2:  Skydive Dubai → Ras al Khaimah, 190 km  Full Results and Report

Close finish	Elia VIVIANI (ITA/QUICK - STEP FLOORS) wins in 4:34:31 ahead of yesterday's winner 2nd Dylan GROENEWEGEN (NED/LOTTO NL - JUMBO), 3rd Riccardo MINALI (ITA/ASTANA), 4th Mark CAVENDISH (GBR/DIMENSION DATA), 5th John DEGENKOLB (GER/TREK - SEGAFREDO)
Your Stage 2 winner, Elia VIVIANI (ITA/QUICK - STEP FLOORS)	2nd today after winning Stage 1, race leader, Dylan GROENEWEGEN (NED/LOTTO NL - JUMBO)

Stage 3:  Skydive Dubai → Fujairah, 183 km  Full Results and Report

		Mark CAVENDISH wins Stage 3 equaling his 2017 win output

Stage 4:  Skydive Dubai → Hatta Dam, 172 km  Full Results and Report

Dylan GROENEWEGEN (LOTTO NL - JUMBO) lost his race lead yesterday due to a mechancial and is out of the GC hunt
	Final break survivor Brandon MCNULTY (RALLY CYCLING)
Brandon MCNULTY (RALLY CYCLING) dying a slow death on the steep finishing climb to Hatta Dam	Brandon MCNULTY (RALLY CYCLING) was caught by the peloton with 50m to go	Sonny COLBRELLI (BAHRAIN - MERIDA) surges to the front when it counts most
This year's iconic finish shot from Hatta Dam	1st Sonny COLBRELLI (ITA/BAHRAIN - MERIDA) in 3:40:50, 2nd Magnus Cort NIELSEN (DEN/ASTANA), 3rd Timo ROOSEN (NED/LOTTO NL - JUMBO), 4th Alexander KRISTOFF (NOR/UAE TEAM EMIRATES), 5th Giacomo NIZZOLO (ITA/TREK - SEGAFREDO), 6th Elia VIVIANI (ITA/QUICK - STEP FLOORS)
	6th Elia VIVIANI (ITA/QUICK - STEP FLOORS) in the same time to keep his lead	Your Stage 4 winner, Sonny COLBRELLI (ITA/BAHRAIN - MERIDA) and now 3rd overall + 4s
6th Elia VIVIANI (ITA/QUICK - STEP FLOORS) in the same time to keep his lead

Stage 5:  Skydive Dubai → City Walk, 129 km  Full Results and Report

		Elia VIVIANI (ITA/QUICK - STEP FLOORS) wins Stage 5 in 3:05:28 ahead of 2nd Marco HALLER (AUT/KATUSHA ALPECIN), 3rd Adam BLYTHE (GBR/AQUA BLUE SPORT), 4th Jean-Pierre DRUCKER (LUX/BMC RACING), 5th Rick ZABEL (GER/KATUSHA ALPECIN), 6th Marcel KITTEL (GER/KATUSHA ALPECIN), 7th Sonny COLBRELLI (ITA/BAHRAIN - MERIDA)
	Stage 2 and Stage 5 winner, Elia VIVIANI (ITA/QUICK - STEP FLOORS)
And overall winner, Elia VIVIANI (ITA/QUICK - STEP FLOORS)	Your 2018 Dubai Tour podium, 3rd Sonny COLBRELLI (ITA/BAHRAIN - MERIDA) + 14s, 1st Elia VIVIANI (ITA/QUICK - STEP FLOORS) 19:05:46, 2nd Magnus Cort NIELSEN (DEN/ASTANA) + 12s