Mark Cavendish sprints to second on final stage
SA team Dimension Data's kingpin ensures they leave Abu Dhabi with a few smiles in the UCI World Tour series.
Mark Cavendish is Di-Data’s headline rider. Photo: Tom Dulat/Getty Images.
The team’s sprint king, Mark Cavendish, delivered another podium performance on Sunday, closing out the Tour of Abu Dhabi in style for South African road cycling squad Dimension Data.
The British rider, who had won the opening stage and finished third on stage two, grabbed second spot on the fourth and final leg of the UCI World Tour contest in the United Arab Emirates.
Australian rider Caleb Ewan (Orica-Scott) won the 143km stage, consisting of 26 laps of Abu Dhabi’s Formula One motor racing circuit, in 3:03:06.
Cavendish worked hard in a long drive for the line but he was narrowly edged out.
Despite the team’s star rider performing admirably on all three sprint stages, Dimension Data did not have a rider in the top 10 of the overall standings after they struggled to keep pace up the climbs on stage three.
Former world champion Rui Costa (UAE Emirates) of Portugal did enough with his stage three victory to secure top spot in the general classification ahead of Russian rider Ilnur Zakarin (Katusha-Alpecin) who finished second.
The next race in the top-flight World Tour series will be held at the one-day Strade Bianche event in Italy on Saturday.
The Strade Bianche contest will also form the first leg of the Women’s World Tour campaign.
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