Abu Dhabi Tour 2017 – Stage 4 Preview

By David Hunter

Yas Marina – Yas Marina 143km

Easily, the worst stage in cycling.

The riders cover 24 laps of the racing circuit, it is dreadful to watch. Being at night, under the lights, does add a little to the event, but it really is hard to watch.

Finale

The final corner comes with 250m to go, before a full gas sprint.

Contenders

Marcel Kittel – make no mistake, his win on Friday was very impressive. He was left with a lot of ground to cover in the final 100m and he simply powered through the field to take a brilliant win. Just like his win in the Dubai Tour, it seems to mean a lot to the German when he comes from far back to take the win. I love his passion! His sprint train is not the best, but Sabatini is capable of putting him in a good position. After his display of power, he starts the stage as the favourite. One problem is the route, I don’t think it suits him as well as the others.

Mark Cavendish – a win on Thursday and third place on Friday. It’s been a good race for Cavendish and this stage suits him perfectly. His lead out train is looking impressive, especially the work of Reinardt Janse Van Rensburg. Cav loves criterium races like this, with the constant battle for position. His team will deliver him to the front of the race, just at the perfect time. It will be up to the others to try and come round him.

Caleb Ewan – crashed hard on Thursday, but bounced back on Friday. The Aussie certainly is a tough guy! With Edmondson, Mezgec and Kluge, he has the best train here. Orica-Scott have plenty of speed and they got it right on Friday, but Ewan celebrated too early! Just like Cavendish, Ewan loves criterium racing. The current Aussie champion, he is sure to be around the front as we leave the final corner. After going so close on Friday, he’ll be hoping to take a win in this stage.

Andre Greipel – did well on Thursday, but some of his old problems resurfaced on Friday. The German has never been the best at surfing wheels, he has an old fashioned sprinter that needs a good lead out. So far this season, he’s actually performed well when looking after himself, but he got it wrong on Friday. Greipel is still trying to adjust to life without Greg Henderson, it was a huge mistake to let him go. The criterium stage is not suited to Greipel.

Matteo Pelucchi – benefitted from being on Kittel’s wheel on Friday. As the big German powered past the field, he managed to pull the Italian up into 4th place. It was very similar to the pull that Mareczko got in the Dubai Tour. The Italian has had a good start at Bora and once he gets some confidence, he is a sprinter to seriously consider. His lead out man, Selig, is quality!

Andrea Guardini – the UAE team have a very impressive sprint train. With Ben Swift and Simone Consonni, they will put Guardini into a good position. The Ewan crash stopped him on Thursday, but he will have been disappointed with 7th on Friday, especially as he started sprinting from a high position. The Italian has every chance of making the podium.

Weather

Not a lot of wind, but it might rain. Shouldn’t really change the race.

Prediction Time

The criterium circuit means I’m not going with the Germans, it doesn’t really suit Greipel and Kittel. I see this as a battle between Cavendish and Ewan, with Cavendish coming out on top.

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