Ready, set, go: The Dubai Tour moves into top gear

Dubai - Cavendish leads classy field; Mirza UAE's top entry

Totalling 676 kilometres, the 2016 four-stage Dubai Tour is on from Wednesday to Saturday It is mostly a race for sprinters, barring stage 3, which should suit the tough 'punch men' - as it finishes on a steep wall with a maximum grade of 17 per cent.
The starting point of the event is the Dubai International Marine Club (DIMC) at Dubai Marina - 10.30am.
To soak up all this and provide the UAE with another episode of world class sport, will be Briton Mark Cavendish, the defending champion, and a host of riders of the highest pedigree including previous winners of the Tour de France and the Olympic road race trials.
In 2015, it was Mark Cavendish winning two stages and he held brilliantly in the hilly third stage with a 17 per cent (gradient) 'ramp-finish' at Hatta Dam. The time the bonus of 26 seconds he gathered in the flat stages brought him the overall victory, just two seconds ahead of John Degenkolb, who is not taking part this year.
"Defending the title will not come easy as the sprinters this year are of higher quality with one stage of a hard hill climb. We should be able to witness tough races in all the four stages," said Cavendish.
Marcel Kittel, veteran Bradley Wiggins, a former Tour de France champion, Philippe Gilbert, Fabian Cancellara and Tony Martin are all there this year. Also challenging the worlds' best is a bunch of upcoming UAE riders led by Yousef Mohamed Mirza, who has qualified for the Rio Olympics this year for the individual road time trials.
Mirza said: "Al Nasr Club and my team mates are privileged to be in the same race (Dubai Tour) where some of the world's best riders are taking part. There cannot be a better preparation for me and my teammates especially for my participation at the Rio Olympics this year."
At 179 kilometres, stage 1 of the Dubai Tour takes the riders to Fujairah. Predominantly on flat roads, the riders have to transit through the foothills of the Al Hajar Mountains to get there. But as the highest point is crested with 40km left, the fast men should not worry about the outcome.
Stage 2 offers 188km of racing on what may be called, a vintage Dubai Tour course. After an eight-shaped loop through the desert, the riders are to finish at Palm Jumeirah. If there is any chance at glory for the climbers, stage 3 should be the 'day of reckoning' as far as high octane pro cycling goes. Totalling 17km, the hard grind finishing 40km will witness three climbs. The finish is at the Hatta Dam after a 1km climb with a steepest section at 17 per cent metres (gradient) before the home stretch.
The 132km final stage sticks on to a Dubai city routine. The finish is at the foot of the Burj Khalifa. All stages in Dubai bring time bonuses of 10, 6 and 4 seconds, while the intermediate sprints account for 3, 2 and 1 second.
Race organiser RCS Sport has the backing of the Dubai Sports Council and has attracted 10 World Tour teams to this year's Dubai Tour, with several other European outfits and local continental-centred squads making up the 16-team lineup. - moni@khaleejtimes.com