The Dubai Tour will return for its fifth edition in 2018 with a familiar, sprint-friendly format and a slightly later position on the calendar. The UCI 2.HC event will take place from February 6-10 – a week later than normal as it moves into the slot vacated by the Tour of Qatar – and will feature five stages, including the short but sharp uphill finish at Hatta Dam.
The route of the 2018 Dubai Tour was presented at City Walk in Dubai on Monday evening, and although the start list will not be confirmed until the new year, one can expect the usual litany of top sprinters in the early-season event, which has been claimed by Marcel Kittel in each of the past two seasons.
"In just four editions the Dubai Tour increased in all the aspects. We added a race day, we visited the surrounding Emirates, we increased the stages’ length and we can see the results on our roll of honour: names like Taylor Phinney, Mark Cavendish and Marcel Kittel certify our results, at least in sporting terms," said H.E. Saeed Hareb, general secretary of the Dubai Sports Council.
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The Dubai Tour is one of two events in the Gulf run in association with Giro d’Italia organiser RCS Sport, with the Abu Dhabi Tour slated for February 21-15. Last year’s Dubai Tour route was the first to feature five stages, though only four stages eventually took place, with the penultimate leg to Hatta Dam cancelled due to high winds. The same stage route is included in the 2018 Dubai Tour and is again slated for the penultimate day.
The 2018 Dubai Tour gets underway with a 167km stage designed to showcase Dubai’s signature construction projects, as well as the site of the 2020 Dubai Expo and the Al Qudra bike path. The stage finishes on the artificial archipelago of Palm Jumeirah.
Stage 2 brings the peloton away from Dubai and through four neighbouring emirates – Sharjah, Ajman, Umm al-Quwain and Ras Al Khaimah. The 190km route hugs the coastline in the second half of the stage, and the sprinters will expect another opportunity on Al Quawasim Corniche Road.
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