The 2017 Abu Dhabi Tour was a road cycling stage race that took place between 23 and 26 February. It was the third edition of the Abu Dhabi Tour and was the third event of the 2017 UCI World Tour. It was the first time that the race was included in the UCI World Tour calendar.[2][3]

2017 Abu Dhabi Tour
2017 UCI World Tour, race 3 of 37
Race details
Dates23–26 February 2017
Stages4
Distance671 km (416.9 mi)
Winning time15h 42' 21"[1]
Results
Winner  Rui Costa (Portugal) (UAE Team Emirates)
  Second  Ilnur Zakarin (Russia) (Team Katusha–Alpecin)
  Third  Tom Dumoulin (Netherlands) (Team Sunweb)

Points  Mark Cavendish (Great Britain) (Team Dimension Data)
Youth  Julian Alaphilippe (France) (Quick-Step Floors)
Sprints  Patrick Konrad (Austria) (Bora–Hansgrohe)
  Team UAE Team Emirates
← 2016
2018 →

The race's mountain-top finish at Jebel Hafeet provided the final podium of the race, after Mark Cavendish (Team Dimension Data), Marcel Kittel (Quick-Step Floors) and Caleb Ewan (Orica–Scott) won the three sprint stages. 2013 world champion Rui Costa, riding for the newly renamed UAE Team Emirates, broke away with Team Katusha–Alpecin's Ilnur Zakarin, with the two staying clear to the end; Costa was able to out-sprint Zakarin, and with the additional bonus seconds for winning the stage, Costa held onto the final victory by four seconds.[4] The podium was completed by Team Sunweb rider Tom Dumoulin, who tried to close the pair down on the mountain, but fell ten seconds shy on the stage.

With finishes of first, second and third on the sprint stages, Cavendish was a comfortable winner of the points classification. In the other classifications, Kittel's teammate Julian Alaphilippe was the winner of the young rider classification; he gained four places overall on the final day with a three-second time bonus for winning one of the intermediate sprints at the Yas Marina Circuit – moving from ninth to fifth in the process. Another final-day mover was Bora–Hansgrohe's Patrick Konrad, who took the intermediate sprints classification, winning the two other sprints and finishing second to Alaphilippe in the third. With eight bonus seconds, he moved from 24th to 10th overall. The teams classification was won by Costa's UAE Team Emirates.

Teams

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As a new event to the UCI World Tour, all UCI WorldTeams were invited to the race, but not obligated to compete in the race. As such, sixteen of the eighteen WorldTeams – all excluding Cannondale–Drapac and FDJ – competed in the race.[5] Four UCI Professional Continental teams competed, completing the 20-team peloton.

UCI WorldTeams

UCI Professional Continental teams

Route

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The full itinerary of the 2017 Abu Dhabi Tour was released on 24 January 2017.[6]

Stage schedule
Stage Date Route Distance Type Winner
1 23 February Madinat Zayed to Madinat Zayed 189 km (117 mi)   Flat stage   Mark Cavendish (GBR)
2 24 February Al Maryah Island to Abu Dhabi 153 km (95 mi)   Flat stage   Marcel Kittel (GER)
3 25 February Hazza Bin Zayed Stadium, Al Ain to Jebel Hafeet 186 km (116 mi)   Medium-mountain stage   Rui Costa (POR)
4 26 February Yas Marina Circuit to Yas Marina Circuit 143 km (89 mi)   Flat stage   Caleb Ewan (AUS)

Stages

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Stage 1

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23 February 2017 — Madinat Zayed to Madinat Zayed, 189 km (117 mi)
Result of Stage 1[7]
Rank Rider Team Time
1   Mark Cavendish (GBR) Team Dimension Data 4h 37' 06"
2   André Greipel (GER) Lotto–Soudal + 0"
3   Niccolò Bonifazio (ITA) Bahrain–Merida + 0"
4   Simone Consonni (ITA) UAE Team Emirates + 0"
5   Elia Viviani (ITA) Team Sky + 0"
6   Roger Kluge (GER) Orica–Scott + 0"
7   Alexander Porsev (RUS) Gazprom–RusVelo + 0"
8   Matteo Pelucchi (ITA) Bora–Hansgrohe + 0"
9   Nicola Ruffoni (ITA) Bardiani–CSF + 0"
10   Eduard-Michael Grosu (ROU) Nippo–Vini Fantini + 0"
General classification after Stage 1[8]
Rank Rider Team Time
1   Mark Cavendish (GBR)    Team Dimension Data 4h 36' 56"
2   André Greipel (GER) Lotto–Soudal + 4"
3   Manuele Mori (ITA)   UAE Team Emirates + 4"
4   Niccolò Bonifazio (ITA)   Bahrain–Merida + 6"
5   Mirco Maestri (ITA) Bardiani–CSF + 8"
6   Kazushige Kuboki (JPN) Nippo–Vini Fantini + 8"
7   Simone Consonni (ITA) UAE Team Emirates + 10"
8   Elia Viviani (ITA) Team Sky + 10"
9   Roger Kluge (GER) Orica–Scott + 10"
10   Alexander Porsev (RUS) Gazprom–RusVelo + 10"

Stage 2

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24 February 2017 — Al Maryah Island to Abu Dhabi, 153 km (95 mi)
Result of Stage 2[9]
Rank Rider Team Time
1   Marcel Kittel (GER) Quick-Step Floors 3h 28' 11"
2   Caleb Ewan (AUS) Orica–Scott + 0"
3   Mark Cavendish (GBR)   Team Dimension Data + 0"
4   Matteo Pelucchi (ITA) Bora–Hansgrohe + 0"
5   Phil Bauhaus (GER) Team Sunweb + 0"
6   Elia Viviani (ITA) Team Sky + 0"
7   Andrea Guardini (ITA) UAE Team Emirates + 0"
8   Eduard-Michael Grosu (ROU) Nippo–Vini Fantini + 0"
9   André Greipel (GER) Lotto–Soudal + 0"
10   Alexander Porsev (RUS) Gazprom–RusVelo + 0"
General classification after Stage 2[10]
Rank Rider Team Time
1   Mark Cavendish (GBR)    Team Dimension Data 8h 05' 03"
2   Marcel Kittel (GER) Quick-Step Floors + 4"
3   André Greipel (GER) Lotto–Soudal + 8"
4   Marco Canola (ITA)   Nippo–Vini Fantini + 8"
5   Caleb Ewan (AUS)   Orica–Scott + 8"
6   Manuele Mori (ITA) UAE Team Emirates + 8"
7   Niccolò Bonifazio (ITA) Bahrain–Merida + 10"
8   Fabio Calabria (AUS) Team Novo Nordisk + 11"
9   Mirco Maestri (ITA) Bardiani–CSF + 12"
10   Kazushige Kuboki (JPN) Nippo–Vini Fantini + 12"

Stage 3

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25 February 2017 — Hazza Bin Zayed Stadium, Al Ain to Jebel Hafeet, 186 km (116 mi)
Result of Stage 3[11]
Rank Rider Team Time
1   Rui Costa (POR) UAE Team Emirates 4h 34' 08"
2   Ilnur Zakarin (RUS) Team Katusha–Alpecin + 0"
3   Tom Dumoulin (NED) Team Sunweb + 10"
4   Bauke Mollema (NED) Trek–Segafredo + 28"
5   Julian Alaphilippe (FRA) Quick-Step Floors + 46"
6   Fabio Aru (ITA) Astana + 46"
7   Rafał Majka (POL) Bora–Hansgrohe + 46"
8   George Bennett (NZL) LottoNL–Jumbo + 46"
9   Domenico Pozzovivo (ITA) AG2R La Mondiale + 46"
10   Nairo Quintana (COL) Movistar Team + 58"
General classification after Stage 3[12]
Rank Rider Team Time
1   Rui Costa (POR)   UAE Team Emirates 12h 39' 15"
2   Ilnur Zakarin (RUS) Team Katusha–Alpecin + 4"
3   Tom Dumoulin (NED) Team Sunweb + 16"
4   Bauke Mollema (NED) Trek–Segafredo + 38"
5   Rafał Majka (POL) Bora–Hansgrohe + 56"
6   George Bennett (NZL) LottoNL–Jumbo + 56"
7   Fabio Aru (ITA) Astana + 56"
8   Domenico Pozzovivo (ITA) AG2R La Mondiale + 56"
9   Julian Alaphilippe (FRA)   Quick-Step Floors + 56"
10   Romain Bardet (FRA) AG2R La Mondiale + 1' 08"

Stage 4

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26 February 2017 — Yas Marina Circuit to Yas Marina Circuit, 143 km (89 mi)
Result of Stage 4[13]
Rank Rider Team Time
1   Caleb Ewan (AUS) Orica–Scott 3h 03' 06"
2   Mark Cavendish (GBR)   Team Dimension Data + 0"
3   André Greipel (GER) Lotto–Soudal + 0"
4   Niccolò Bonifazio (ITA) Bahrain–Merida + 0"
5   Matteo Pelucchi (ITA) Bora–Hansgrohe + 0"
6   Roger Kluge (GER) Orica–Scott + 0"
7   Julian Alaphilippe (FRA)   Quick-Step Floors + 0"
8   Alexander Porsev (RUS) Gazprom–RusVelo + 0"
9   Kiel Reijnen (USA) Trek–Segafredo + 0"
10   Rick Zabel (GER) Team Katusha–Alpecin + 0"
Final general classification[1]
Rank Rider Team Time
1   Rui Costa (POR)   UAE Team Emirates 15h 42' 21"
2   Ilnur Zakarin (RUS) Team Katusha–Alpecin + 4"
3   Tom Dumoulin (NED) Team Sunweb + 16"
4   Bauke Mollema (NED) Trek–Segafredo + 38"
5   Julian Alaphilippe (FRA)   Quick-Step Floors + 53"
6   Rafał Majka (POL) Bora–Hansgrohe + 56"
7   George Bennett (NZL) LottoNL–Jumbo + 56"
8   Fabio Aru (ITA) Astana + 56"
9   Domenico Pozzovivo (ITA) AG2R La Mondiale + 56"
10   Patrick Konrad (AUT)   Bora–Hansgrohe + 1' 07"

Classification leadership table

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In the 2017 Abu Dhabi Tour, four different jerseys were awarded. For the general classification, calculated by adding each cyclist's finishing times on each stage, and allowing time bonuses for the first three finishers at intermediate sprints and at the finish of mass-start stages, the leader received a red jersey.[14] This classification was considered the most important of the 2017 Abu Dhabi Tour, and the winner of the classification was considered the winner of the race.

Additionally, there was a points classification, which awarded a green jersey.[14] In the points classification, cyclists received points for finishing in the top 10 in a stage. For winning a stage, a rider earned 20 points, with 16 for second, 12 for third, 9 for fourth, 7 for fifth, 5 for sixth with a point fewer per place down to a single point for 10th place. Points towards the classification could also be accrued at intermediate sprint points during each stage; these intermediate sprints also offered bonus seconds towards the general classification. There was also a sprints classification for the points awarded at the aforementioned intermediate sprints, where the leadership of which was marked by a black jersey.[14]

The fourth jersey represented the young rider classification, marked by a white jersey.[14] This was decided in the same way as the general classification, but only riders born after 1 January 1992 were eligible to be ranked in the classification. There was also a classification for teams, in which the times of the best three cyclists per team on each stage were added together; the leading team at the end of the race was the team with the lowest total time.

Stage Winner General classification
 
Points classification
 
Young rider classification
 
Sprints classification
 
Team classification
1[8] Mark Cavendish Mark Cavendish Mark Cavendish Niccolò Bonifazio Manuele Mori Team Dimension Data
2[10] Marcel Kittel Caleb Ewan Marco Canola UAE Team Emirates
3[12] Rui Costa Rui Costa Julian Alaphilippe
4[1] Caleb Ewan Patrick Konrad
Final[1] Rui Costa Mark Cavendish Julian Alaphilippe Patrick Konrad UAE Team Emirates

References

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  1. ^ a b c d "Ewan wins stage 4 of the Abu Dhabi Tour ahead of Cavendish and Greipel". Cyclingnews.com. 26 February 2017. Retrieved 26 February 2017.
  2. ^ "UCI expands WorldTour to 37 events". Cycling News. Retrieved 2 October 2016.
  3. ^ "The UCI reveals expanded UCI WorldTour calendar for 2017". UCI. Retrieved 2 October 2016.
  4. ^ Turner, Jon (26 February 2017). "UAE Team Emirates captain Rui Costa takes Abu Dhabi Tour General Classification title". The National. Abu Dhabi Media. Retrieved 26 February 2017.[permanent dead link]
  5. ^ "Abu Dhabi Tour announces route, teams for 2017 race". VeloNews. 24 January 2017. Retrieved 22 February 2017.
  6. ^ Turner, Jon (24 January 2017). "Mark Cavendish: 2017 Abu Dhabi Tour will see a battle of 'the best sprinters in the world'". The National. Abu Dhabi Media. Retrieved 22 February 2017.
  7. ^ Wynn, Nigel (23 February 2017). "Mark Cavendish wins crash-affected Abu Dhabi Tour sprint". Cycling Weekly. Retrieved 23 February 2017.
  8. ^ a b "Cavendish strikes first in Abu Dhabi Tour sprint". Cyclingnews.com. 23 February 2017. Retrieved 23 February 2017.
  9. ^ Robertshaw, Henry (24 February 2017). "Marcel Kittel comes from nowhere to edge out Ewan and Cavendish in Abu Dhabi Tour". Cycling Weekly. Retrieved 24 February 2017.
  10. ^ a b "Abu Dhabi: Marcel Kittel wins stage 2". Cyclingnews.com. 24 February 2017. Retrieved 24 February 2017.
  11. ^ Wynn, Nigel (25 February 2017). "Rui Costa out-foxes Quintana and Contador on Abu Dhabi Tour's big climb". Cycling Weekly. Retrieved 25 February 2017.
  12. ^ a b "Rui Costa wins mountain stage in Abu Dhabi Tour". Cyclingnews.com. 25 February 2017. Retrieved 25 February 2017.
  13. ^ Robertshaw, Henry (26 February 2017). "Caleb Ewan too fast for Mark Cavendish in final stage of Abu Dhabi Tour". Cycling Weekly. Retrieved 26 February 2017.
  14. ^ a b c d "2017 Abu Dhabi Tour route and jerseys unveiled". Velon.cc. Velon Limited. 25 January 2017. Archived from the original on 23 February 2017. Retrieved 22 February 2017.
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