Abu Dhabi Tour: Van Avermaet, Nibali, Cavendish, and Viviani set to ride

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The Abu Dhabi peloton in action at the Yas Marina Formula One track.(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)

Before it steps up to WorldTour level next year and moves from October to February, the Abu Dhabi Tour unveiled a second edition of the race that closely follows the formula of the first.

The opening stage is likely to culminate in a bunch sprint but the riders will clock up a fair bit of elevation gain in the undulating dunes. The peloton will head out from Madinat Zayet for 45km on straight roads, and will head back the same way after a short circuit and intermediate sprint at the oasis of Liwa. Once back in Madinat Yayet they'll cross the finish line and embark on a 14.5km circuit, where the sprint trains can get themselves organised.

The third stage is again the one that will shape the overall classification with a repeat of the Jebel Hafeet summit finish, where Esteban Chaves took advantage of a Woet Poels mishap to take command of last year's race. The stage starts out on the urban roads of Al Ain but soon heads into the desert and towards the final climb – the second highest point in the emirate at 1025m. The climb is 10.8km long, mostly at 8-9 per cent but with gradients that enter the double digits in places. The average gradient is given as 6.6 per cent as it eases towards the top – even dipping down in the final kilometre before another kick up to the line in the final 250 metres.