Before it steps up to WorldTour level next year and moves from October to February, the Abu Dhabi Tour unveiled a second edition of the race that closely follows the formula of the first.
Newly-crowned Olympic road race champion Greg van Avermaet, Giro d’Italia champion Vincenzo Nibali, four-time 2016 Tour de France stage winner Mark Cavendish, and Olympic omnium champion Elia Viviani are among the big names to have confirmed their places on the start list. Last year’s winner Esteban Chaves, however, will not be back to try for the double.
The route, teams, and jerseys for the race, set to take place between October 20-23, were officially presented on the emirate’s Corniche on Tuesday, and there will once again be three flat stages and one summit finish.
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Abu Dhabi will again play host to the UCI Cycling Gala event, the end-of-season bash held for the first time last year, though this time it will take place before the race, and there’ll be a clash with ASO’s unveiling of the route for the 2017 Tour de France in Paris on October 18.
The Abu Dhabi Tour Route
With the Abu Dhabi Tour organisers making few changes from the inaugural edition, the race again opens with two flat stages – one in the desert and the second in the city and around the Corniche – before another summit finish on Jebel Hafeet and the finale on the YAS Marina circuit – famous for hosting the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in Formula 1.
The opening stage is likely to culminate in a bunch sprint but the riders will clock up a fair bit of elevation gain in the undulating dunes. The peloton will head out from Madinat Zayet for 45km on straight roads, and will head back the same way after a short circuit and intermediate sprint at the oasis of Liwa. Once back in Madinat Yayet they’ll cross the finish line and embark on a 14.5km circuit, where the sprint trains can get themselves organised.
Teams and jerseys
UCI WorldTeams
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