The start at Yas Mall and the finish at Abu Dhabi Breakwater are just 38 kilometres by road. But as the race begins with a lap north of Yas Island and another one to the south, the race adds up to almost 150 kilometres.
As far as the outcome goes, it does not matter. A sprint finish is the only likely option at the end of the entirely flat route.
Last year’s Abu Dhabi sprint finish was cancelled, but in 2019 Fernando Gaviria outgunned Elia Viviani and Caleb Ewan after a royal lead-out by Alexander Kristoff.
The first three riders on the line gain time bonuses of 10, 6 and 4 seconds, while two intermediate sprints – at kilometre 42.6 and 130.7 – come with 3, 2 and 1 seconds.
The race is expected to finish around 16.30 local time.
Another interesting read: live report 7th stage 2021 UAE Tour.
UAE Tour 2021 – stage 7: route, profile, tweets
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