Male Team 21 - 25 Feb
Abu Dhabi Tour
681 Kilometers 5 Stages
The fourth edition of the Abu Dhabi Tour -the second one held in February, organisers looking for a place inside the UCI WorldTour calendar- significantly changes its route scheme from previous years to look more similar to what riders find in the big European races.
A fifth day of racing and an individual time trial on Saturday 24th February (12.6km) in the Al Maryah island are the biggest changes of an event which will not finish at the Yas Marina F1 circuit anymore. Sunday 25 will see the riders take on the region’s most famous climb: Jebel Hafeet, almost 11km long and with average gradients close to 7%, maximum up to 11%.
The three stages prior to the decisive weekend will, in contrary, be more similar to what has been custom in this race: flat roads, mainly urban courses -even though winds can always be a threat- and predictable sprint finishes. A perfect scenery for Alejandro Valverde and his Movistar team-mates to get completely used to the Gulf’s climate condition before the race gets decided.