Abu Dhabi Tour 2016: Preview

Image 1 of 10

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

This week's Abu Dhabi Tour is the final race of the 2016 international season, with the four days of racing in the Middle East bringing the curtain down on a season that began in late January at the Tour Down Under in Australia and the Tour de San Luis in Argentina.

After clocking up more kilometres in the air than they have on their bikes during the nine months of an ever more global sport, Alberto Contador, Vincenzo Nibali and Diego Ulissi were amongst the riders on the flights from Europe to Abu Dhabi on Monday, while World Championships contenders Greg van Avermaet, Andre Greipel, Mark Cavendish, Michael Matthews, John Degenkolb and Giacomo Nizzolo travelled from nearby Qatar.

Last year, Andrea Guardini (Astana) won the sprint in Madinat Zayed as the riders suffered in temperatures close to 40C. Conditions are expected to be cooler this year, with forecasts of 36C and 45 per cent humidity but the sprinters will again be fighting for the first red leader's jersey as well as the stage victory. Three sweeping corners are the only obstacles in the final seven kilometres, meaning it should be a fast and furious finish.

The sprinters will no doubt be at the back of the peloton on stage 3 as the 10km climb to the finish at Jebel Hafeet sees the climber's rise to the top of the overall classification. The 150km stage covers a long flat loop before the 10km climb up the spine of the climb. The gradient begins gently at the oasis but then climbs constantly at 8% for seven kilometres on a wide, often curving highway. The gradient eases and then kicks up again in the last two kilometres, before the vital sharp hairpin turn to the left that leads into the finish area.

The Abu Dhabi Tour ends with a spectacular circuit stage on the Yas Marina circuit. The 143km starts at sunset and will be contested under the lights of the Formula 1 motor racing circuit, with riders covering 26 laps of the 5.5km circuits. Thanks to a deal with the Velon teams association, there will again be live on-board footage from the stage as riders race and dive through the corners without touching their brakes.

Picking out the overall contenders amongst the team leaders is a lottery so late in the season but Nicholas Roche (Team Sky) could be a name to remember. So to could Diego Ulissi (Lampre-Merida) and Thomas De Gendt (Lotto Soudal). Contador hasn't raced since the Vuelta a Espana and may just want to let his legs respond to the criticism of team owner Oleg Tinkov in his farewell interview with Cyclingnews.

The sprinters will no doubt dominate on three days, with Mark Cavendish backed by his trusted Dimension Data teammates Bernard Eisel and Mark Renshaw. Viviani has the support of Doull, Van Poppel and Andy Fenn, while Giacomo Nizzolo also leads a solid Trek-Segafredo squad. Andre Greipel will be hoping to end his season on a high with Lotto Soudal after Germany’s debacle at the World Championships. Italy Jakub Mareczko from Wilier Southeast and Sacha Modolo (Lampre-Merida) should not be forgotten as the sprints are fiercely contested.

Stephen is the most experienced member of the Cyclingnews team, having reported on professional cycling since 1994. He has been Head of News at Cyclingnews since 2022, before which he held the position of European editor since 2012 and previously worked for Reuters, Shift Active Media, and CyclingWeekly, among other publications.