2017 Abu Dhabi Tour
The 2017 Abu Dhabi Tour was a road cycling stage race that took place between 23 and 26 February. It was the third edition of the Abu Dhabi Tour and was the third event of the 2017 UCI World Tour. It was the first time that the race was included in the UCI World Tour calendar.[2][3]
| 2017 UCI World Tour, race 3 of 37 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Race details | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Dates | 23–26 February 2017 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Stages | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Distance | 671 km (416.9 mi) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Winning time | 15h 42' 21"[1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Results | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The race's mountain-top finish at Jebel Hafeet provided the final podium of the race, after Mark Cavendish (Team Dimension Data), Marcel Kittel (Quick-Step Floors) and Caleb Ewan (Orica–Scott) won the three sprint stages. 2013 world champion Rui Costa, riding for the newly renamed UAE Team Emirates, broke away with Team Katusha–Alpecin's Ilnur Zakarin, with the two staying clear to the end; Costa was able to out-sprint Zakarin, and with the additional bonus seconds for winning the stage, Costa held onto the final victory by four seconds.[4] The podium was completed by Team Sunweb rider Tom Dumoulin, who tried to close the pair down on the mountain, but fell ten seconds shy on the stage.
With finishes of first, second and third on the sprint stages, Cavendish was a comfortable winner of the points classification. In the other classifications, Kittel's teammate Julian Alaphilippe was the winner of the young rider classification; he gained four places overall on the final day with a three-second time bonus for winning one of the intermediate sprints at the Yas Marina Circuit – moving from ninth to fifth in the process. Another final-day mover was Bora–Hansgrohe's Patrick Konrad, who took the intermediate sprints classification, winning the two other sprints and finishing second to Alaphilippe in the third. With eight bonus seconds, he moved from 24th to 10th overall. The teams classification was won by Costa's UAE Team Emirates.
Teams
As a new event to the UCI World Tour, all UCI WorldTeams were invited to the race, but not obligated to compete in the race. As such, sixteen of the eighteen WorldTeams – all excluding Cannondale–Drapac and FDJ – competed in the race.[5] Four UCI Professional Continental teams competed, completing the 20-team peloton.
UCI WorldTeams
UCI Professional Continental teams
Route
The full itinerary of the 2017 Abu Dhabi Tour was released on 24 January 2017.[6]
| Stage | Date | Route | Distance | Type | Winner | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 23 February | Madinat Zayed to Madinat Zayed | 189 km (117 mi) |  | Flat stage |  Mark Cavendish (GBR) |
| 2 | 24 February | Al Maryah Island to Abu Dhabi | 153 km (95 mi) | | Flat stage |  Marcel Kittel (GER) |
| 3 | 25 February | Hazza Bin Zayed Stadium, Al Ain to Jebel Hafeet | 186 km (116 mi) |  | Medium-mountain stage |  Rui Costa (POR) |
| 4 | 26 February | Yas Marina Circuit to Yas Marina Circuit | 143 km (89 mi) | | Flat stage | .svg.png.webp){kind=small} Caleb Ewan (AUS) |
Stages
Stage 1
- 23 February 2017 — Madinat Zayed to Madinat Zayed, 189 km (117 mi)
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Stage 2
- 24 February 2017 — Al Maryah Island to Abu Dhabi, 153 km (95 mi)
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Stage 3
- 25 February 2017 — Hazza Bin Zayed Stadium, Al Ain to Jebel Hafeet, 186 km (116 mi)
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Stage 4
- 26 February 2017 — Yas Marina Circuit to Yas Marina Circuit, 143 km (89 mi)
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Classification leadership table
In the 2017 Abu Dhabi Tour, four different jerseys were awarded. For the general classification, calculated by adding each cyclist's finishing times on each stage, and allowing time bonuses for the first three finishers at intermediate sprints and at the finish of mass-start stages, the leader received a red jersey.[14] This classification was considered the most important of the 2017 Abu Dhabi Tour, and the winner of the classification was considered the winner of the race.
Additionally, there was a points classification, which awarded a green jersey.[14] In the points classification, cyclists received points for finishing in the top 10 in a stage. For winning a stage, a rider earned 20 points, with 16 for second, 12 for third, 9 for fourth, 7 for fifth, 5 for sixth with a point fewer per place down to a single point for 10th place. Points towards the classification could also be accrued at intermediate sprint points during each stage; these intermediate sprints also offered bonus seconds towards the general classification. There was also a sprints classification for the points awarded at the aforementioned intermediate sprints, where the leadership of which was marked by a black jersey.[14]
The fourth jersey represented the young rider classification, marked by a white jersey.[14] This was decided in the same way as the general classification, but only riders born after 1 January 1992 were eligible to be ranked in the classification. There was also a classification for teams, in which the times of the best three cyclists per team on each stage were added together; the leading team at the end of the race was the team with the lowest total time.
| Stage | Winner | General classification |
Points classification |
Young rider classification |
Sprints classification |
Team classification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1[8] | Mark Cavendish | Mark Cavendish | Mark Cavendish | Niccolò Bonifazio | Manuele Mori | Team Dimension Data |
| 2[10] | Marcel Kittel | Caleb Ewan | Marco Canola | UAE Team Emirates | ||
| 3[12] | Rui Costa | Rui Costa | Julian Alaphilippe | |||
| 4[1] | Caleb Ewan | Patrick Konrad | ||||
| Final[1] | Rui Costa | Mark Cavendish | Julian Alaphilippe | Patrick Konrad | UAE Team Emirates | |
References
- "Ewan wins stage 4 of the Abu Dhabi Tour ahead of Cavendish and Greipel". Cyclingnews.com. Immediate Media Company. 26 February 2017. Retrieved 26 February 2017.
- "UCI expands WorldTour to 37 events". Cycling News. Retrieved 2 October 2016.
- "The UCI reveals expanded UCI WorldTour calendar for 2017". UCI. Retrieved 2 October 2016.
- Turner, Jon (26 February 2017). "UAE Team Emirates captain Rui Costa takes Abu Dhabi Tour General Classification title". The National. Abu Dhabi Media. Retrieved 26 February 2017.
- "Abu Dhabi Tour announces route, teams for 2017 race". VeloNews. Competitor Group, Inc. 24 January 2017. Retrieved 22 February 2017.
- Turner, Jon (24 January 2017). "Mark Cavendish: 2017 Abu Dhabi Tour will see a battle of 'the best sprinters in the world'". The National. Abu Dhabi Media. Retrieved 22 February 2017.
- Wynn, Nigel (23 February 2017). "Mark Cavendish wins crash-affected Abu Dhabi Tour sprint". Cycling Weekly. Time Inc. UK. Retrieved 23 February 2017.
- "Cavendish strikes first in Abu Dhabi Tour sprint". Cyclingnews.com. Immediate Media Company. 23 February 2017. Retrieved 23 February 2017.
- Robertshaw, Henry (24 February 2017). "Marcel Kittel comes from nowhere to edge out Ewan and Cavendish in Abu Dhabi Tour". Cycling Weekly. Time Inc. UK. Retrieved 24 February 2017.
- "Abu Dhabi: Marcel Kittel wins stage 2". Cyclingnews.com. Immediate Media Company. 24 February 2017. Retrieved 24 February 2017.
- Wynn, Nigel (25 February 2017). "Rui Costa out-foxes Quintana and Contador on Abu Dhabi Tour's big climb". Cycling Weekly. Time Inc. UK. Retrieved 25 February 2017.
- "Rui Costa wins mountain stage in Abu Dhabi Tour". Cyclingnews.com. Immediate Media Company. 25 February 2017. Retrieved 25 February 2017.
- Robertshaw, Henry (26 February 2017). "Caleb Ewan too fast for Mark Cavendish in final stage of Abu Dhabi Tour". Cycling Weekly. Time Inc. UK. Retrieved 26 February 2017.
- "2017 Abu Dhabi Tour route and jerseys unveiled". Velon.cc. Velon Limited. 25 January 2017. Archived from the original on 23 February 2017. Retrieved 22 February 2017.