Dubai Tour 2017: Favourites

The 2017 Dubai Tour features four flat stages and one with an uphill finish. It's a fast men's race with Kittel and Cavendish the last two overall winners, mainly thanks to time bonuses. (Slideshow route/profile)

The full route of the 2017 edition takes in one more flat stage (four this time and three in the last two editions), so that's an extra chance for fast men to take time bonuses. Advantage for super sprinters like Kittel and Cavendish and a small disadvantage the likes of Degenkolb and Lobato, powersprinters with an extra gear who want to strike on the Hatta Dam.

In 2015, John Degenkolb powered to glory on the Hatta Dam, but the next day he lost the leader's jersey to Mark Cavendish. In 2016, Giacomo Nizzolo was in the lead after the Hatta Dam stage, yet Kittel took the final flowers.

Favourites Dubai Tour 2017

*** Marcel Kittel, Mark Cavendish, Dylan Groenewegen
** John Degenkolb, Elia Viviani, Giacomo Nizzolo
* Sonny Colbrelli, Borut Bozic, Juan José Lobato, Jean-Pierre Drucker