Cycling: The first stage of the Dubai Tour has just come to an end. After a rather unexciting stage, the last few kilometers were tough. In the mass sprint, Mark Cavendish (Etixx Quick-Step) beat Andrea Guardini (Astana) by a hair's breadth.
The first leg of this year's Dubai Tour required some warm-up time. While Sky and Etixx Quick-Step controlled the peloton and the race for most of the 145km, highlights were in short supply. But the spectators were compensated in the last few kilometers: while Etixx Quick-Step with Tony Martin was able to assert itself at the head of the field, Sky, Astana and Giant-Alpecin fought a tough battle alongside.
In the mass sprint it was finally Mark Cavendish who, after an outstanding team effort, was able to prevail with a strong pacemaker Tony Martin. Astana's Andrea Guardini was hot on his heels, however, and although Cavendish threw his arms up as he crossed the finish line, the Italian still expressed his doubts. But the finish photo brought clarity: Mark Cavendish is the winner of the first stage, followed by Andrea Guardini (Astana) and Elia Viviani (Sky).
The German team Giant-Alpecin around top sprinter John Degenkolb and Luka Mezgec could do nothing against the superiority of Sky and Etixx Quick-Step. Tomorrow the next opportunity awaits on the 185 km long second stage.
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