Kittel wins Dubai Tour title with final stage victory

German sprinter Marcel Kittel has put his disappointing, illness-dogged 2015 behind him by hoisting the flowers and trophy of the 2016 Dubai Tour on Saturday, taking the final stage to claw back Trek’s Giacomo Nizzolo (Italy) for the title. It was Kittel’s first race for new outfit Etixx-QuickStep.

An @Etixx shake for the #DubaiTour champion, @marcelkittel, before the podium ceremony. pic.twitter.com/YeXBZSeGld

— Etixx – Quick-Step (@Etixx_QuickStep) February 6, 2016

The final stage began at the Dubai Maritime Club for 137 flat kilometres around the city. World champion of 2013 Rui Costa (Portugal/Lampre) was the most notable name of the six escapees of the day, taking both intermediate sprints on the course.

With Trek, Astana, Etixx and Tinkoff all interested in the final sprint at the Burj Khalifa, the break was doomed, and the catch was made with 12-km remaining. The peloton slithered its way around several corners.

First Etixx and then Trek mobbed the front of the bunch after the red kite, but race leader Nizzolo had missed the move. Etixx was precise and effective delivering Kittel to his second victory in the four stages, with Stage 2 winner Elia Viviani (Italy/Sky) runner-up and Mark Cavendish (Great Britain/Dimension Data) third. Nizzolo’s sixth saw him lose the six-second lead he had over Kittel at the start of the day.

Kittel also took the red points jersey, while Skydive Dubai’s Soufiane Haddi (Morocco) earned the young rider jersey. There was no mountains jersey.

Cavendish will now head off to the Tour of Qatar, which he won in 2012, to do battle with Alexander Kristoff (Norway/Katusha) and Sacha Modolo (Italy/Lampre).

2016 Dubai Tour Stage 4
1) Marcel Kittel (Germany/Etixx-QuickStep) 2:50:47
2) Elia Viviani (Italy/Sky) s.t.
3) Mark Cavendish (Great Britain/Dimension Data) s.t.

2016 Dubai Tour GC
1) Marcel Kittel (Germany/Etixx-QuickStep) 14:46:54
2) Giacomo Nizzolo (Italy/Trek) +0:04
3) Juan Jose Lobato (Spain/Movistar) +0:06