Cycling: Mark Cavendish (Dimension Data) screamed as he crossed the finish line at the Dubai Tour this afternoon. It was a cry of joy, but also of relief. The Brit won his last race almost twelve months ago. Today it was time again. Cavendish left Nacer Bouhanni (Cofidis) and Marcel Kittel (Katusha-Alpecin) behind on stage three. But the tragic figure of the day is Dylan Groenewegen (LottoNL-Jumbo).
[gap height=“30″]
[gap height=“30″]
Groenewegen is penalized and loses the blue jersey
Third day in Dubai, third bunch sprint. Also in Fujairah today after 183 kilometers at the Dubai Tour there was a decision in the sprint. The escapees of the day were caught 30 kilometers before the finish line. Then the Swiss tried Tom Bohli (BMC) with an attack. But especially the teams Quick-Step Floors for the yesterday's stage winner Elia Viviani and Katusha-Alpecin for last year's overall winner Marcel Kittel left no doubt about a mass sprint. The last kilometers of the race were very hectic again. Too many teams want to position their sprinters at the front here at the Dubai Tour. Often there is just not a fall. If you briefly miss a step, you lose 20 positions. That's what happened today at Dylan Groenewegen, is 1.000 Meters from the finish, he lost the rear wheel of his teammates and was then unable to fully participate in the battle for victory. But that wasn't the only bad news for the Dutchman. Because he took advantage of the slipstream of his team car around 70 kilometers from the finish, he was penalized with a 20-second penalty. This means he loses the overall lead.
20″ de sanción para Dylan Groenewegen by hacer trascoche descarado. #DubaiTour pic.twitter.com/1hHemkP9FB
— Alpe d'Huez B&T (@Alpe__dHuez) February 8, 2018
Cavendish plays off his cleverness
Elia Viviani opened the sprint for the top stars today . However, the Italian ventured into the wind far too early, as he still does far too often. His compatriot Sonny Colbrelli (Bahrain-Merida) did the same. Mark Cavendish was considerably more astute . The Briton rode out of Viviani's slipstream on the right and waited for the perfect moment. Nacer Bouhanni was too late, as was Marcel Kittel. The German, last year's winner, was better positioned today than yesterday, but he hasn't yet reached his renowned top speed. Thus, after almost a year's drought, Mark Cavendish finally won a race again. His shout could almost be heard back home. Elia Viviani is now the new overall leader, but with the ten-second bonus, Mark Cavendish is once again in contention for the overall victory. Dylan Groenewegen, however , seems to have thrown away his chance in the slipstream of his team car…
🇬🇧 @MarkCavendish of 🇿🇦 @TeamDiData wins stage 3 of 🇦🇪 @dubaitour #DubaiTour pic.twitter.com/bcIT9bTrQV
— World Cycling Stats (@wcstats) February 8, 2018
🇬🇧 @MarkCavendish of 🇿🇦 @TeamDiData wins stage 3 of 🇦🇪 @dubaitour #DubaiTour https://t.co/d6LhZ6OgK1 pic.twitter.com/mtuEnKU4QV
— World Cycling Stats (@wcstats) February 8, 2018