Chaves Wins First Abu Dhabi Tour
Oct 11, 2015 – The Colombian rider Esteban Chaves (Orica GreenEDGE) has won the inaugural edition of the Abu Dhabi Tour, defending the race leader’s Red Jersey in the fourth and final stage around on the Yas Marina Circuit. The stage was won by the Italian rider Elia Viviani (Team…
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Oct 11, 2015 – The Colombian rider Esteban Chaves (Orica GreenEDGE) has won the inaugural edition of the Abu Dhabi Tour, defending the race leader’s Red Jersey in the fourth and final stage around on the Yas Marina Circuit. The stage was won by the Italian rider Elia Viviani (Team Sky).
Abu Dhabi Tour/Yuzuru Sunada
The stage unfolded as follows: 100 riders passed km 0 at 16.39. At km 1, Lukas Postlberger (Bora – Argon 18) attacked, to be joined by Adam Phelan (Drapac Professional Cycling), Francisco Mancebo (Skydive Dubai Professional Cycling), Daniel Patten (Team Wiggins) and Alessandro Bazzana (UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling). However, at km 3.5 the peloton was back together.
On the second lap, Gianluca Brambilla (Etixx – Quick Step) and Eduard Vorganov (Team Katusha) attacked, and were then joined by Alexey Lutsenko (Astana Pro Team). During the third lap, Mancebo, Marcus Burghardt (BMC Racing Team), Tom Dumoulin (Team Giant Alpecin) and Federico Zurlo (UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling) formed a chasing quartet behind the leading trio. The four chasers were then whittled down to the pairing of Mancebo and Zurlo.
At the first Intermediate Sprint (Yas Marina Circuit – km 27.5; end of lap 5), Lutsenko took the first of the 6000 Euro special prizes, chased Brambilla, and Vorganov, with Zurlo and Mancebo at 1’06” and the group at 1’57”.
During Lap 7, Mancebo and Zurlo were caught by the group.
The second Intermediate Sprint (Yas Marina Circuit – km 55; end of lap 10) was taken by Brambilla, with Lutsenko and Vorganov in his wake, and Viviani, at the head of the peloton, at 1’50”. The third Intermediate Sprint (Yas Marina Circuit – km 82,5; end of lap 15) ended Vorganov, Lutsenko, Brambilla, and Faria Da Costa, the latter, at the head of the group, 43” down.
Vorganov dropped back into the group on lap 17. Then, on lap 18, at km 93, at the very moment Brambilla and Lutsenko were caught, Mancebo and Will Clarke (Drapac Professional Cycling) darted out of the peloton, only to be caught at the start of lap 19.
The final lap, lap 20, was ridden at a very high pace, and in the final bunch sprint, Elia Viviani (Team Sky) emerged triumphant ahead of Peter Sagan (Tinkoff Saxo) and Andrea Guardini (Astana Pro Team).