DUBAI // Mark Cavendish, the man with a tongue as sharp as the tip of the Burj Khalifa, celebrated his Dubai Tour victory at the foot of the world’s tallest building on Saturday but insisted it was his team who should have been squeezing into the winner’s blue jersey.
The Isle of Man native, riding for Etixx Quick-Step, had started the afternoon trailing John Degenkolb by four seconds after the German rider had won Friday’s hilly third stage in Hatta.
But the sprint specialist had saved his energy for one last push, and on a flatter final stage he was able to cross the line first.
The stage victory, his second of the week and his third of the season after winning the final stage of the Tour de San Luis in Argentina last month, ensured he took a 10-second bonus to give him a six-second lead over Degenkolb.
Cavendish, having reclaimed the blue jersey and taken the wheel-shaped Circle of Stars trophy for the first time, appeared to cry on finishing the 123-kilometre stage in a time of two hours, 37 minutes, 15 seconds.
He dismissed the suggestion, though, and said sun cream had slipped into his eyes.
“I’m super happy – it’s always nice to win, but winning is not new,” said Cavendish, who has won 43 Grand Tour stages during his 10-year professional career. “What makes this so special is that Etixx Quick-Step just rode out of their skin for four days. We wanted it bad and had the fire in our eyes.
“I didn’t really do anything, so I’m really just grateful to the lads.
“They deserve to have this jersey more than me.”
The Briton said he will make sure the Circle of Stars trophy is donated to the museum at his team’s service course. “They won, not me,” he said.
Cavendish’s team had been forced to chase down a five-man break, which they managed to overhaul 10 kilometres before the line.
With the finish approaching and Elia Viviani of Team Sky and Movistar’s Juan Jose Lobato close behind, a strong lead-out was essential. The lead-out provided was, Cavendish said, “absolutely phenomenal”.
“Here at Dubai Tour it’s not exactly a sprinter’s race, but it can favour people who can sprint,” he said.
“I know for sure last year I wasn’t looking for the GC [general classification]. This year I came here in good form. It wasn’t really something I was expecting, but with the way the guys have been working all week it was something special to finish off with the GC win.”
Degenkolb, who joined Team Giant-Alpecin in the off-season and celebrated his first win for his new team after a steep climb in Hatta on Friday, crossed the line in ninth place. The result was outside the bonus points but high enough to claim second place.
“In general I’m very happy with this week although, of course, I’m a little bit disappointed that I lost the jersey,” the German rider said.
Degenkolb, 26, said that his exhausting efforts the previous day were not responsible for him fading out late yesterday.
“We started pretty smart. It was a good breakaway and good team work,” he said. “But just the lead-out wasn’t good. I was just too far back. We just couldn’t handle it to put me in the right position.
“It’s a good start to the season, early in the season and I’m looking forward to the next races.”
When Degenkolb was asked whether Cavendish’s victory was proof the 2011 world champion was back after an underwhelming 2014, he said: “I think he was never away.”
gmeenaghan@thenational.ae
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Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer
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He became the first Emirati to climb Mount Everest in 2011, from the south section in Nepal
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