Abu Dhabi // It has been a successful and eventful start to the 2017 season for Marcel Kittel.
The German Quick-Step Floors rider, a nine-time stage winner at the Tour de France, was the star of the show at the Dubai Tour this month.
He comfortably retained the title he won in 2016 courtesy of three stage victories out of four, with one stage cancelled due to “dangerous” weather.
Kittel, 28, was also in the headlines for less savoury reasons when he was the victim of a punch to the face thrown by Astana Pro Team’s Andriy Grivko, who was subsequently disqualified from the race.
However, both the success and the scandal of Dubai are things of the past as Kittel prepares to make his mark this week at the Abu Dhabi Tour, the first since its upgrade to UCI World Tour status in September.
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■ Abu Dhabi Tour 2017: Dates, routes, riders and everything you need to know
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“The important thing now is to really focus, not to say ‘OK, I’ve got some wins so it’s not important here’. Abu Dhabi is a goal to the rest of the season and I will give it my best,” Kittel said on Wednesday at Yas Marina Circuit ahead of today’s first stage, the 189-kilometre Emirates Motor Company Stage which starts and ends in Madinat Zayed.
Kittel will be up against some familiar faces from Dubai, including the two previous Abu Dhabi Tour green jersey winners Mark Cavendish and Elia Viviani.
Throw into the mix compatriot Andre Greipel, a winner of 20 Grand Tour stages, and Australian sensation Caleb Ewan, and the competition could not be more fierce.
“You saw the podium at the press conference. Everyone that was sitting there is a potential winner,” Kittel said.
“That is something I have to take into account. It will be close. Sometimes it comes down to how well you work together with your team. It’s hard to predict, of course.
“I think my form is good. I’m happy with the conditions. I saw after Dubai that my form was all right and I kept working on it afterwards so I can be satisfied.”
Of Kittel’s sprint rivals, Ewan appeared the least optimistic about his chances of securing the green jersey, awarded to the winner of the general points classification.
Ewan, 22, arrived in Abu Dhabi after securing the sprints title at the 2017 Tour Down Under in his native Australia. But despite his recent success, he is not convinced he will replicate those performances in the capital.
“To be honest I don’t think my form is as good as it was at Down Under,” he said. “After that, I had a week off and I’ve come straight here from an altitude training camp, so I’m not sure if my form will be great or not.”
Instead it was the two-time Dubai Tour champion that got the nod as the sprinter to beat this week.
“If I had to pick someone, I think Kittel is going the best,” Ewan said. “After watching him in Dubai, he was sprinting super quick, but it’s hard to tell when all these guys come together.
“If the smallest thing goes wrong it could cost you the race because these guys are at such a high level. I guess it depends who’s really up for it on the day.”
The general classification’s red jersey, awarded to the overall winner, will largely be decided on the outcome of Saturday’s climbing stage, the 186km Al Maryah Stage, when the likes of Nairo Quintana, Romain Bardet, Fabio Aru, Vincenzo Nibali and Alberto Contador come to the fore.
For Thursday and Friday, though, it is Kittel and his fellow sprinters who take centre stage.
“It was a great start in Dubai and I would like to continue that,” Kittel said. “But there are also many different circumstances. There are even more sprinters here, definitely all world class, and I will enjoy the challenge.”
jtuner@thenational.ae
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QUALIFYING RESULTS
1. Max Verstappen, Netherlands, Red Bull Racing Honda, 1 minute, 35.246 seconds.
2. Valtteri Bottas, Finland, Mercedes, 1:35.271.
3. Lewis Hamilton, Great Britain, Mercedes, 1:35.332.
4. Lando Norris, Great Britain, McLaren Renault, 1:35.497.
5. Alexander Albon, Thailand, Red Bull Racing Honda, 1:35.571.
6. Carlos Sainz Jr, Spain, McLaren Renault, 1:35.815.
7. Daniil Kvyat, Russia, Scuderia Toro Rosso Honda, 1:35.963.
8. Lance Stroll, Canada, Racing Point BWT Mercedes, 1:36.046.
9. Charles Leclerc, Monaco, Ferrari, 1:36.065.
10. Pierre Gasly, France, Scuderia Toro Rosso Honda, 1:36.242.
Eliminated after second session
11. Esteban Ocon, France, Renault, 1:36.359.
12. Daniel Ricciardo, Australia, Renault, 1:36.406.
13. Sebastian Vettel, Germany, Ferrari, 1:36.631.
14. Antonio Giovinazzi, Italy, Alfa Romeo Racing Ferrari, 1:38.248.
Eliminated after first session
15. Antonio Giovinazzi, Italy, Alfa Romeo Racing Ferrari, 1:37.075.
16. Kimi Raikkonen, Finland, Alfa Romeo Racing Ferrari, 1:37.555.
17. Kevin Magnussen, Denmark, Haas Ferrari, 1:37.863.
18. George Russell, Great Britain, Williams Mercedes, 1:38.045.
19. Pietro Fittipaldi, Brazil, Haas Ferrari, 1:38.173.
20. Nicholas Latifi, Canada, Williams Mercedes, 1:38.443.
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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The rules on fostering in the UAE
A foster couple or family must:
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Company profile
Name: Oulo.com
Founder: Kamal Nazha
Based: Dubai
Founded: 2020
Number of employees: 5
Sector: Technology
Funding: $450,000
%3Cp%3EThe%20Department%20of%20Culture%20and%20Tourism%20-%20Abu%20Dhabi%E2%80%99s%20Arabic%20Language%20Centre%20will%20mark%20International%20Women%E2%80%99s%20Day%20at%20the%20Bologna%20Children's%20Book%20Fair%20with%20the%20Abu%20Dhabi%20Translation%20Conference.%20Prolific%20Emirati%20author%20Noora%20Al%20Shammari%2C%20who%20has%20written%20eight%20books%20that%20%20feature%20in%20the%20Ministry%20of%20Education's%20curriculum%2C%20will%20appear%20in%20a%20session%20on%20Wednesday%20to%20discuss%20the%20challenges%20women%20face%20in%20getting%20their%20works%20translated.%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
Griselda
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A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
From Zero
Artist: Linkin Park
Label: Warner Records
Number of tracks: 11
Rating: 4/5
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
Specs%20
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KINGDOM%20OF%20THE%20PLANET%20OF%20THE%20APES
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Profile box
Company name: baraka
Started: July 2020
Founders: Feras Jalbout and Kunal Taneja
Based: Dubai and Bahrain
Sector: FinTech
Initial investment: $150,000
Current staff: 12
Stage: Pre-seed capital raising of $1 million
Investors: Class 5 Global, FJ Labs, IMO Ventures, The Community Fund, VentureSouq, Fox Ventures, Dr Abdulla Elyas (private investment)
The line up
Friday: Giggs, Sho Madjozi and Masego
Saturday: Nas, Lion Bbae, Roxanne Shante and DaniLeigh
Sole DXB runs from December 6 to 8 at Dubai Design District. Weekend pass is Dh295 while a one day pass is Dh195. Tickets are available from www.soledxb.com
AUSTRALIA SQUAD
Aaron Finch (captain), Ashton Agar, Alex Carey, Pat Cummins, Glenn Maxwell, Ben McDermott, Kane Richardson, Steve Smith, Billy Stanlake, Mitchell Starc, Ashton Turner, Andrew Tye, David Warner, Adam Zampa
About Seez
Company name/date started: Seez, set up in September 2015 and the app was released in August 2017
Founder/CEO name(s): Tarek Kabrit, co-founder and chief executive, and Andrew Kabrit, co-founder and chief operating officer
Based in: Dubai, with operations also in Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Lebanon
Sector: Search engine for car buying, selling and leasing
Size: (employees/revenue): 11; undisclosed
Stage of funding: $1.8 million in seed funding; followed by another $1.5m bridge round - in the process of closing Series A
Investors: Wamda Capital, B&Y and Phoenician Funds
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
THE SIXTH SENSE
Starring: Bruce Willis, Toni Collette, Hayley Joel Osment
Director: M. Night Shyamalan
Rating: 5/5
Company profile
Company name: Dharma
Date started: 2018
Founders: Charaf El Mansouri, Nisma Benani, Leah Howe
Based: Abu Dhabi
Sector: TravelTech
Funding stage: Pre-series A
Investors: Convivialite Ventures, BY Partners, Shorooq Partners, L& Ventures, Flat6Labs
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