Dubai Tour 2015 Route stage 3: Marine Club

Dubai Tour 2015 Route stage 3: Marine Club - Hatta

Friday, February 6, 2015 - Chances are the Dubai Tour is to be decided in stage 3, leading in 205 kilometres to an uphill finish with a steepest section at 17% in the Haja Mountains.

The stage opens at Dubai International Marine Club, a daily routine in the Dubai Tour. The riders leave town in the same direction as yesterday, but this time they don’t turn around since stage 3 is the only instance in the Dubai Tour the riders don’t finish in Dubai City. Instead they head straight on to Hatta, a town 115 kilometres east of Dubai City. At an elevation of 387 metres is a popular place do escape the hot summers on the coast.

Hatta is in the Hajar Mountains. The riders are sent back and forth in this rugged terrain, resulting in two 1-kilometre climbs (one at 10% and one at 7%) in the final 18 kilometres, while the uphill finale is marked by a closing section at 17%. Not long, 50 metres at most, but it may be long enough to drop the sprinters.

The finish line is at elevation of 399 metres. The top three riders win 10, 6 and 4 bonus-seconds, while two intermediate sprints have 3, 2 and 1 second on offer.

Follow the race here. The finish is expected around 15:45 local time.