Gallery: Dubai Tour kicks off with spectacular presentation
Start order for opening time trial
The 127 riders that will form the peloton for the first ever edition of the Dubai Tour paraded before the Crown Prince of Dubai on Tuesday evening in the final act before the racing begins with a 9.9km time trial on Wednesday.
The inaugural edition of the four-day race has used its financial muscle attracted some of sports biggest names, with Mark Cavendish, Vincenzo Nibali, Joaquim Rodríguez, Peter Sagan, Rui Costa, Tony Martin, Fabian Cancellara, Alejandro Valverde, Taylor Phinney and Marcel Kittel all traveling to the gulf for the race.
The big-name riders lead their teammates on stage in the centre overlooking the artificial lake at the foot of the Burj Khalifa, the tallest skyscraper in the world.
With a show of national pride and perhaps a growing interest in cycling, the UAE team was the first on stage after a spectacular show of lights, dancers floating under balloons, loud music and the world's largest choreographed fountains, making for a presentation as spectacular as any ever seen at the Tour de France.
The riders used their bikes to ride from the giant shopping mall to the stage, posed for a team photograph and then filled the stage. Many could not resist taking "selfies" or posing for photos under the towering Burj Khalifa.
Costa showed off the new Lampre-Merida world champions' jersey in which he will race for the first time, while Cavendish looked on form in his white British national champion's jersey.
After a day of official photographs, a chaotic press conference and the presentation, many of the riders could not wait to begin racing in the opening 9.9km individual time trial.
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Some riders have already competed at the Santos Tour Down Under or the Tour de San Luis but for many others the first edition of the Dubai Tour, marks the start of their 2014 racing season.
Cyclingnews will have extensive coverage of the Dubai Tour, with race reports, photo galleries, news, exclusive interviews and video content from every stage.
Start Order
# | Rider Name (Country) Team | Time |
---|---|---|
1 | Tom Veelers (Ned) Team Giant-Shimano | 13:05:00 |
2 | Eugenio Alafaci (Ita) Trek Factory Racing | 13:06:00 |
3 | Evan Huffman (USA) Astana Pro Team | 13:07:00 |
4 | Michael Valgren Andersen (Den) Tinkoff-Saxo | 13:08:00 |
5 | Ramunas Navardauskas (Ltu) Garmin Sharp | 13:09:00 |
6 | Vladimir Gusev (Rus) Team Katusha | 13:10:00 |
7 | Juraj Sagan (Svk) Cannondale | 13:11:00 |
8 | Tan Peng Yuan (Tpe) RTS-Santic Racing Team | 13:12:00 |
9 | Steven Cummings (GBr) BMC Racing Team | 13:13:00 |
10 | Manabu Ishibashi (Jpn) Vini-Fantini-Nippo | 13:14:00 |
11 | Alex Dowsett (GBr) Movistar Team | 13:15:00 |
12 | Valter Pereira (Por) Banco BIC Carmim | 13:16:00 |
13 | Nawaf Albalooshi (UAE) Skydive Dubai Pro Cycling Team | 13:17:00 |
14 | Niccolò Bonifazio (Ita) Lampre-Merida | 13:18:00 |
15 | Julien Vermote (Bel) Omega Pharma - Quick-Step Cycling Team | 13:19:00 |
16 | Cheng Ji (Chn) Team Giant-Shimano | 13:20:00 |
17 | Haimar Zubeldia Agirre (Spa) Trek Factory Racing | 13:21:00 |
18 | Jacopo Guarnieri (Ita) Astana Pro Team | 13:22:00 |
19 | Majid Albalooshi (UAE) United Arab Emirates | 13:23:00 |
20 | Oliver Zaugg (Swi) Tinkoff-Saxo | 13:24:00 |
21 | Raymond Kreder (Ned) Garmin Sharp | 13:25:00 |
22 | Angel Vicioso Arcos (Spa) Team Katusha | 13:26:00 |
23 | Daniele Ratto (Ita) Cannondale | 13:27:00 |
24 | Wen Chung Huang (Tpe) RTS-Santic Racing Team | 13:28:00 |
25 | Taylor Phinney (USA) BMC Racing Team | 13:29:00 |
26 | Pier Paolo De Negri (Ita) Vini-Fantini-Nippo | 13:30:00 |
27 | Jesus Herrada Lopez (Spa) Movistar Team | 13:31:00 |
28 | Joao Pereira (Por) Banco BIC Carmim | 13:32:00 |
29 | Francisco Mancebo (Spa) Skydive Dubai Pro Cycling Team | 13:33:00 |
30 | Luca Dodi (Ita) Lampre-Merida | 13:34:00 |
31 | Alessandro Petacchi (Ita) Omega Pharma - Quick-Step Cycling Team | 13:35:00 |
32 | Ramon Sinkeldam (Ned) Team Giant-Shimano | 13:36:00 |
33 | Giacomo Nizzolo (Ita) Trek Factory Racing | 13:37:00 |
34 | Valentin Iglinskiy (Kaz) Astana Pro Team | 13:38:00 |
35 | Mansour Thani (UAE) United Arab Emirates | 13:39:00 |
36 | Rory Sutherland (Aus) Tinkoff-Saxo | 13:40:00 |
37 | Johan Van Summeren (Bel) Garmin Sharp | 13:41:00 |
38 | Alexandr Porsev (Rus) Team Katusha | 13:42:00 |
39 | Fabio Sabatini (Ita) Cannondale | 13:43:00 |
40 | Alex Coutts (GBr) RTS-Santic Racing Team | 13:44:00 |
41 | Peter Velits (Svk) BMC Racing Team | 13:45:00 |
42 | Kim Magnusson (Swe) Vini-Fantini-Nippo | 13:46:00 |
43 | Enrique Sanz Unzue (Spa) Movistar Team | 13:47:00 |
44 | Daniel Mestre (Por) Banco BIC Carmim | 13:48:00 |
45 | Alexandr Pliuschin (Mda) Skydive Dubai Pro Cycling Team | 13:49:00 |
46 | Andrea Palini (Ita) Lampre-Merida | 13:50:00 |
47 | Wouter Poels (Ned) Omega Pharma - Quick-Step Cycling Team | 13:51:00 |
48 | Lawson Craddock (USA) Team Giant-Shimano | 13:52:00 |
49 | Fabio Silvestre (Por) Trek Factory Racing | 13:53:00 |
50 | Andrea Guardini (Ita) Astana Pro Team | 13:54:00 |
51 | Ahmad Albalooshi (UAE) United Arab Emirates | 13:55:00 |
52 | Jay McCarthy (Aus) Tinkoff-Saxo | 13:56:00 |
53 | Dylan Van Baarle (Ned) Garmin Sharp | 13:57:00 |
54 | Luca Paolini (Ita) Team Katusha | 13:58:00 |
55 | Marco Marcato (Ita) Cannondale | 13:59:00 |
56 | Simon Buttner (Fra) RTS-Santic Racing Team | 14:00:00 |
57 | Thor Hushovd (Nor) BMC Racing Team | 14:01:00 |
58 | Alessandro Malaguti (Ita) Vini-Fantini-Nippo | 14:02:00 |
59 | Juan Jose Lobato Del Valle (Spa) Movistar Team | 14:03:00 |
60 | Diogo Nunes (Por) Banco BIC Carmim | 14:04:00 |
61 | Lucas Sebastian Haedo (Arg) Skydive Dubai Pro Cycling Team | 14:05:00 |
62 | Roberto Ferrari (Ita) Lampre-Merida | 14:06:00 |
63 | Nikolas Maes (Bel) Omega Pharma - Quick-Step Cycling Team | 14:07:00 |
64 | Bert De Backer (Bel) Team Giant-Shimano | 14:08:00 |
65 | Danilo Hondo (Ger) Trek Factory Racing | 14:09:00 |
66 | Alessandro Vanotti (Ita) Astana Pro Team | 14:10:00 |
67 | Ahmed Almansoori (UAE) United Arab Emirates | 14:11:00 |
68 | Bruno Manuel Sil Pires (Por) Tinkoff-Saxo | 14:12:00 |
69 | Tyler Farrar (USA) Garmin Sharp | 14:13:00 |
70 | Pavel Brutt (Rus) Team Katusha | 14:14:00 |
71 | Edward King (USA) Cannondale | 14:15:00 |
72 | Ruslan Karimov (Uzb) RTS-Santic Racing Team | 14:16:00 |
73 | Rick Zabel (Ger) BMC Racing Team | 14:17:00 |
74 | Antonio Viola (Ita) Vini-Fantini-Nippo | 14:18:00 |
75 | Jon Izaguirre Insausti (Spa) Movistar Team | 14:19:00 |
76 | Bruno De Matos Sancho (Por) Banco BIC Carmim | 14:20:00 |
77 | Mohammed Albalooshi (UAE) Skydive Dubai Pro Cycling Team | 14:21:00 |
78 | Davide Cimolai (Ita) Lampre-Merida | 14:22:00 |
79 | Martin Velits (Svk) Omega Pharma - Quick-Step Cycling Team | 14:23:00 |
80 | Koen De Kort (Ned) Team Giant-Shimano | 14:24:00 |
81 | Kristof Vandewalle (Bel) Trek Factory Racing | 14:25:00 |
82 | Alexey Lutsenko (Kaz) Astana Pro Team | 14:26:00 |
83 | Khaled Altani (UAE) United Arab Emirates | 14:27:00 |
84 | Ivan Rovny (Rus) Tinkoff-Saxo | 14:28:00 |
85 | Sebastian Langeveld (Ned) Garmin Sharp | 14:29:00 |
86 | Joaquin Rodriguez Oliver (Spa) Team Katusha | 14:30:00 |
87 | Damiano Caruso (Ita) Cannondale | 14:31:00 |
88 | Keon-Woo Park (Kor) RTS-Santic Racing Team | 14:32:00 |
89 | Yannick Eijssen (Bel) BMC Racing Team | 14:33:00 |
90 | Riccardo Stacchiotti (Ita) Vini-Fantini-Nippo | 14:34:00 |
61 | Lucas Sebastian Haedo (Arg) Skydive Dubai Pro Cycling Team | 14:35:00 |
92 | Henrique Madeira Casimiro (Por) Banco BIC Carmim | 14:36:00 |
93 | Adil Jelloul (Mar) Skydive Dubai Pro Cycling Team | 14:37:00 |
94 | Nelson Oliveira (Por) Lampre-Merida | 14:38:00 |
95 | Mark Renshaw (Aus) Omega Pharma - Quick-Step Cycling Team | 14:39:00 |
96 | Marcel Kittel (Ger) Team Giant-Shimano | 14:40:00 |
97 | Bob Jungels (Lux) Trek Factory Racing | 14:41:00 |
98 | Janez Brajkovic (Slo) Astana Pro Team | 14:42:00 |
99 | Mohammed Almansoury (UAE) United Arab Emirates | 14:43:00 |
100 | Nikolay Trusov (Rus) Tinkoff-Saxo | 14:44:00 |
101 | Ryder Hesjedal (Can) Garmin Sharp | 14:45:00 |
102 | Alberto Losada Alguacil (Spa) Team Katusha | 14:46:00 |
103 | Maciej Bodnar (Pol) Cannondale | 14:47:00 |
104 | Sun Jae Jang (Kor) RTS-Santic Racing Team | 14:48:00 |
105 | Sebastian Lander (Den) BMC Racing Team | 14:49:00 |
106 | Takashi Miyazawa (Jpn) Vini-Fantini-Nippo | 14:50:00 |
107 | Adriano Malori (Ita) Movistar Team | 14:51:00 |
108 | Manuel Antunes Amaro (Por) Banco BIC Carmim | 14:52:00 |
109 | Soufiane Haddi (Mar) Skydive Dubai Pro Cycling Team | 14:53:00 |
110 | Filippo Pozzato (Ita) Lampre-Merida | 14:54:00 |
111 | Mark Cavendish (GBr) Omega Pharma - Quick-Step Cycling Team | 14:55:00 |
112 | Reinardt Janse Van Rensburg (RSA) Team Giant-Shimano | 14:56:00 |
113 | Fabian Cancellara (Swi) Trek Factory Racing | 14:57:00 |
114 | Vincenzo Nibali (Ita) Astana Pro Team | 14:58:00 |
115 | Yousif Mirza (UAE) United Arab Emirates | 14:59:00 |
116 | Matteo Tosatto (Ita) Tinkoff-Saxo | 15:00:00 |
117 | Lasse Norman Hansen (Den) Garmin Sharp | 15:01:00 |
118 | Sergei Chernetski (Rus) Team Katusha | 15:02:00 |
119 | Peter Sagan (Svk) Cannondale | 15:03:00 |
120 | Boris Shpilevsky (Rus) RTS-Santic Racing Team | 15:04:00 |
121 | Klaas Lodewyck (Bel) BMC Racing Team | 15:05:00 |
122 | Willem Jakobus Smit (RSA) Vini-Fantini-Nippo | 15:06:00 |
123 | Alejandro Valverde Belmonte (Spa) Movistar Team | 15:07:00 |
124 | Rafael Ferreira Reis (Por) Banco BIC Carmim | 15:08:00 |
125 | Rafaa Chtioui (Tun) Skydive Dubai Pro Cycling Team | 15:09:00 |
126 | Rui Alberto Faria Da Costa (Por) Lampre-Merida | 15:10:00 |
127 | Tony Martin (Ger) Omega Pharma - Quick-Step Cycling Team | 15:11:00 |