Dubai Tour 2018: Favourites
At Dubai Tour it's all about sprints and time bonuses, making it one of only a few stages races with fast finishers eyeing up the overall. Who are the major contenders to win the 2018 Dubai Tour? (Slideshow route/profile)
[Article was written before the start of the Dubai Tour and has not been updated.]
The Dubai Tour is a race for sprinters. Usually, the GC is won through time bonuses; the rider with most stage wins, wins the overall. In 2015, Mark Cavendish sprinted to victory in two out of four stages and took the GC, Marcel Kittel did the same in 2016 before he even outdid himself in 2017 by winning three out of four stages and the overall.
Prerequisite to win the Dubai Tour is not losing too much time at the steep Hatta Dam on the penultimate day of racing. The climb to the top is short and explosive, which usually suits fast finishers. Two years ago non-climber Kittel was the best sprinter at the Hatta Dam, finishing merely 4 seconds down on winner Lobato. (Last year, the Hatta Dam stage was cancelled due to extreme weather.)
Something else to reckon with is strong winds. All stages are played out on the flat and sometimes even along the coast, so echelons are looming everywhere.
We have to go back to the inaugural edition – in 2014 – for the only time that the overall victor of the Dubai Tour didn’t win most stages. It was also the only edition with an individual time trial. It was held on day one and Taylor Phinney powered to victory, opening open such a gap that no sprinter was able to threaten him. Although Marcel Kittel did win all three other stages, he ended up sixth on GC.
Favourites 2018 Dubai Tour
*** Marcel Kittel, Dylan Groenewegen, Mark Cavendish
** John Degenkolb, Nacer Bouhanni, Alexander Kristoff, Elia Viviani
* Magnus Cort, Giacomo Nizzolo, Sonny Colbrelli
Dubai Tour 2018: Route maps, height profiles, and more
Click on the images to zoom
Dubai Tour Route
Dubai Tour Riders
Watch the highlights of recent races here:
Related articles Winners and records - Dubai Tour Viviani seals the deal and sprints to stage and overall victory - Dubai Tour 20 Colbrelli wins at Hatta Dam, 19-year old McNulty just misses out on solo-victory - Dubai Tour 20 Cavendish sprints to win in 3rd stage, Viviani new leader - Dubai Tour 20 Viviani outsprints Groenewegen in 2nd stage - Dutchman still leader - Dubai Tour 20 Groenewegen outsprints all fast men to take overall lead - Dubai Tour 20 Route Stage 1: Skydive Dubai - Palm Jumeirah - Dubai Tour 20 Route Stage 2: Skydive Dubai - Ras al Khaimah - Dubai Tour 20 Route Stage 3: Skydive Dubai - Fujairah - Dubai Tour 20 Route Stage 4: Skydive Dubai - Hatta Dam - Dubai Tour 20 Route Stage 5: Skydive Dubai - City Walk - Dubai Tour 20 More articles Giro 2022: Bouwman wins five-up sprint, Carapaz stays in pink
Giro 2022 Route stage 19: Marano Lagunare - Castelmonte
Giro 2022 Route stage 20: Belluno - Passo Fedaia
Giro 2022 Favourites stage 20: Final GC clash in high mountains
Giro 2022: Withdrawals
Giro 2022: The Route
Giro 2022: Riders
Giro 2022 Route stage 21: Verona ITT
Giro 2022 Favourites stage 21: Into the arena
Cycling Calendar 2022
Giro 2022: Ciccone solos to victory, Carapaz still in pink
Critérium du Dauphiné 2022: The Route
Critérium du Dauphiné 2022: Riders
Critérium du Dauphiné 2022 Route stage 1: La Voulte-sur-Rhône - Beauchastel
Critérium du Dauphiné 2022 Route stage 2: Saint-Péray - Brives-Charensac
Critérium du Dauphiné 2022 Route stage 3: Saint-Paulien - Chastreix-Sancy
Tour de France 2022: The Route
Tour de France 2022: Riders
Tour de France 2022 Route stage 1: Copenhagen - Copenhagen
Tour de France 2022 Favourites stage 1: Ganna for first yellow jersey
Tour de France 2022 Route stage 2: Roskilde - Nyborg
Tour de France 2022 Favourites stage 2: For fast men #1
Tour de France 2022 Route stage 3: Vejle - Sønderborg
Tour de France 2022 Favourites stage 3: For fast men #2
Tour de France 2022 Route stage 5: Lille - Arenberg
Tour de France 2022 Route stage 12: Briançon - Alpe d'Huez
Vuelta 2022: The Route
Giro 2022 Route stage 18: Borgo Valsugana - Treviso
Like our Facebook page and stay on top of all pro-race information!
