11.8 C
Srinagar
Friday, March 29, 2024

JKCA announces shortlist 318 players for U-23 Mens Talent Hunt

Srinagar: After announcing womens shortlist for the...

JKCA announces dates & shortlist for U-23 Talent Hunt

Jammu and Kashmir Cricket Association (JKCA) on...

Dubai Tour 2018: Elia Viviani survives Groenewegen scare to win second stage

InternationalDubai Tour 2018: Elia Viviani survives Groenewegen scare to win second stage

DUBAI: Quick-Step Floors sprinter Elia Viviani overcame a last minute threat from Dutchman Dylan Groenewegen to swiftly move across the finish line of Stage 2 of the Dubai Tour. The Rio Olympics Gold medallist, who was celebrating his birthday today, bossed the colossal 190 km long sprint across Ras al-Khaimah and bettered his third-place finish from Stage 1.

Declared winner a day ago, Groenewegen came perilously close but had to settle for a second place finish after really pushing Viviani in the last 50 meters of the race. A second place meant Groenewegen maintained his overall lead by two seconds over Viviani. Team Astana-Pro’s Riccardo Minali bagged the third place, followed by Mark Cavendish at fourth.

This is Viviani’s second stage win of the year, having already won a stage seven of the Tour Down Under last month. The final couple of kilometres remained scratchy as Katusha-Alpecin’s lead-out riders tried to create formidable pace but without Marcel Kittel anywhere to be seen, Viviani found himself in the ideal position with just about 300m to go.dubair tour

“Having my birthday today added to my motivation. Losing yesterday was also good for my head. Overnight we felt like we missed one chance that would never be given back. I feel I’m in good condition and have the legs for winning. I had a mechanical but luckily it was with 20km to go and I had time to come back. We were not really organised in the last part but we were able to close the gap as more of my riders got in front,” Viviani said after the win.

“With 500 meters to go, my lead out man Fabio Sabatini closed the gap. I chose Kristoff’s wheel from the right and Cavendish on the left. I saw Groenewegen coming back with 50 meters but finally the line was in the right place for me to win. I’m pretty happy.”

“I saw Kristoff coming through but I knew I had the lead. I overtook Kristoff from my right and I was just concentrating on the line. I also spotted Groenewegen coming up in the last 50m, but finally the line was in the right place. So yes, this is a pretty satisfying win for me.
Viviani’s win bodes well not just for him but even for his team Quick-Steps, where he replaced Marcel Kittel as the lead-out guy. Playing down any comparison with his successor, Viviani praised Kittel for his strength but acknowledged his team for its support, which he thinks is capable of making him beat the best sprinters in the world.
“Kittel is the strongest sprinter in the world. He has more power than everyone else and physically he is really strong. But I think with this team, I have a good chance to beat the best sprinters because they have this tendency of reorganising really well. With this year, I think I can really enjoy the leadout because these guys help me till the last 200 meters. And that is believe is the way to beat the best sprinter.
Groenewegen, who retained the Blue jersey, said he was a bit undone owing to a mechanical glitch. “It’s very hard to come only second today after winning yesterday. I had mechanical problems with my first bike, and also with the second 1.5km before the finish. That’s how I lost my sprint train and I came very late to the front for sprinting. The only good point for today is that I’m still in the lead of the overall classification but I wanted to win the stage,” he said.
The long sprints of the Dubai Tour continues on Thursday, with Stage 3 stretching over 180 kms long and spreading across the Dubai Silicon Oasis.

Check out our other content

Check out other tags:

Most Popular Articles