Marcel Kittel (Giant-Shimano) from Arnstadt celebrated his second victory of the season on the second stage of the Dubai Tour, which took the peloton 122 kilometers from Dubai to Palm Jumeirah. After already prevailing against André Greipel (Lotto Belisol) in Australia, he now also left his second major rival, Briton Mark Cavendish (Omega Pharma-QuickStep), no chance. The Copenhagen world champion, however, was unable to maintain his sprint to the finish, as he was boxed in during the final kilometer.
Kittel, on the other hand, was overjoyed: "The team did a fantastic job and positioned me perfectly." With just under 500 meters to go, the four-time Tour de France stage winner was on his own. A few hundred meters later, he launched his sprint and left the competition no chance. Slovakian Peter Sagan (Cannondale) finished second, ahead of overall leader Taylor Phinney (BMC).
The stage was largely dominated by a breakaway trio including Spaniard Francisco Mancebo (Skydive Dubai Pro Cycling Team). The group's lead never exceeded four minutes, but this was quickly erased thanks to the combined efforts of the Omega Pharma-QuickStep and Giant-Shimano teams.
Result
1. Marcel Kittel (Giant Shimano) 2:50:30
2. Peter Sagan (Cannondale) 0:00:00
3.Taylor Phinney (BMC) 0:00:00
4.Juan Jose Lobato (Movistar) 0:00:00
5. Giacomo Nizzolo (Trek Factory Racing) 0:00:00
Total
1.Taylor Phiney (BMC) 3:02:32
2. Stephen Cummings (BMC) 0:00:15
3. Lasse Norman Hansen (Garmin Sharp) 0:00:17
4. Tony Martin (Omega Pharma-QuickStep) 0:00:23
5. Fabian Cancellara (Trek Factory Racing) 0:00:26