HATTA // Another day, another town, same celebration.
Marcel Kittel’s half-euphoric, half-exhausted one-armed air-punch as he crosses the line must be starting to grate on his rivals, especially given that they view it only from behind these days.
We had all been here before, seeing as the German rider claimed the second stage of the Dubai Tour in an almost identical climax a day earlier.
But these were less salubrious surroundings than 24 hours previously. On Thursday, the riders had The Atlantis hotel on one side of the finish line, with waves breaking against the sea wall of the Palm’s Crescent on the other.
This time around, they finished adjacent to Hatta Abattoir, with a telecoms pylon in front of them. The Dubai Tour is certainly taking in the sights.
The “Nature Stage” – as Friday’s leg was termed – showcased an entirely different Dubai.
It was one of natural beauty, especially in the closing kilometres as the peloton wended its way through the Hajjar Mountains and into the old border town.
“We want to show people Dubai is not only the Burj, Dubai is not only tall things, Dubai is not only the sea,” said Saeed Hareb, the chairman of the tour’s higher committee.
“Dubai has mountains and great places like Hatta. And nice weather: here we feel cold! Everybody is happy, and we want to send that message to the world through the Tour.”
It was not cold in an alpine sense. There was no frost on the pedals, as the riders might be used to on early morning starts in the mountains at the Tour de France.
But the cool mountain air in Hatta, 385 metres above sea level, did reflect a different climate to that which the cyclists had left behind, 162 kilometres earlier, at the start line, in Dubai’s financial hub.
“This is the first time we have had the top riders in the world here participating in Dubai, and I have seen big smiles from the riders, the UCI [International Cycling Union] and the crowd,” Hareb said.
“That is what we have been looking for. Dubai Tour is the first step, and we are looking for a bigger step in the future. We want Dubai to become one of the top tours in the future, like the Giro d’Italia and the Tour de France. We want it to be one of them.”
Kittel’s second straight stage win here extended the success enjoyed by German riders in the past year or so, which includes Tony Martin’s world time-trial championship.
The Giant-Shimano team sprinter said the new broom of riders have more than personal glory on their mind, given the general scepticism directed towards their sport from the wider public.
“We have young riders like Tony Martin and me,” Kittel said. “We want to show we have come into the sport and we have a different philosophy towards the sport.
“We want to show that change has happened in our sport. If you take the time to talk to people and you have good arguments, they understand that and change their opinions and think in a different way.”
Taylor Phinney retained his grip on the tour leader’s blue jersey as he trailed closely in behind Kittel, in 11th place. The top 35 riders were credited with the same time: three hours, 47 minutes, 52 seconds.
“This was the biggest day, the queen stage, of the short Dubai Tour and I couldn’t have asked for any more from my team,” Phinney said.
“You see some of the best riders in the world attacking over the final little climbs and I felt good. I was relieved and happy to get to the finish line today and I just can’t thank my team enough.”
pradley@thenational.ae