Mirza’s shows attacking prowess in stage two

UAE Team Emirates’ Yousif Mirza put the crash of stage one behind him with a strong attacking display during stage two of the Dubai Tour. The 190km route from SkyDive Dubai – Ras Al Khaimah was the longest challenge riders will face on the tour and provided Mirza with the opportunity to show why he is the reigning UAE National Champion.

The team got off to a promising start, with Mirza joining the breakaway in what was a frantic dash to build up considerable distance from the peloton. UAE National champion won the first intermediate sprint and remained with the five-strong breakaway group for over 140km.  The Emirati eventually dropped back to the peloton when the bunch decided to produce another attack late on.
The pace from the peloton was considerably quick as riders made their way into the emirate of Ras Al Khaimah for the final 25km of the race. With just 9km to go, the main group caught the breakaway riders, largely thanks to the pelotons average speed of 40.3km per hour in the final quarter of today’s fiery stage. Fans in Ras Al Khaimah were treated to a thrilling finish, as several tour favourites, including Team UAE’s Alexander Kristoff, lined up for a hotly contested bunch sprint on the home stretch. The was race eventually won by Elia Viviani (Quick-Step Floors), Kristoff was 7th.

Commenting on his performance, Yousif Mirza (photo Bettini) said; “I’m happy I succeeded in fulfilling the teams expectations for today. The Sports Directors were keen for me to join the breakaway and I focused all my attention on that target. It was great to ride in the front group and see everyone on the route supporting me and cheering on the team. It was always going to be difficult for the breakaway to reach the finish line first, as we always expected a sprint finale. Whilst it felt good to win the first intermediate sprint, I’m a little disappointed to have missed the second one, which would have given me the sprint jersey”.

Riders will once again face a sprint test in tomorrow’s stage three, which departs from SkyDive Dubai and heads through the desert to the emirate of Fujairah. Fans in Silicon Oasis will be able to catch a glimpse of the riders as they pass through the district looking to pick up valuable sprint points, before continuing on through Sharjah and Ras Al Khaimah. The riders will cross the finish line on the east coast of the Arabian Peninsula, with stunning views over the picturesque Gulf of Oman.

Stage 2 results
1 Elia Viviani (Quick-Step Floors) 4h34’31”
2 Dylan Groenewegen (LottoNl-Jumbo) s.t.
3 Riccardo Minali (Astana) s.t.
7 Alexander Kristoff (UAE Team Emirates) s.t.

General classification after stage 2
1 Dylan Groenewegen (LottoNl-Jumbo) 8h25’50”
2 Elia Viviani (Quick-Step Floors) 2″
3 Nathan Van Hooydonck (BMC) 9″
7 Alexander Kristoff (UAE Team Emirates) 16″