Tanel Kangert, ‘not the big champion’ maybe, but one in Abu Dhabi anyway

'I am not the big champion,' said Tanel Kangert on Sunday, 'I am not going to be the big champion.' And, yet, Osman Samiuddin reports, he was nonetheless the champion of whatever size in the 2016 Abu Dhabi Tour.

Tanel Kangert of Estonia and Team Astana celebrates winning the 2016 Abu Dhabi Tour on Sunday at Yas Marina Circuit. Tom Dulat / Getty Images / October 23, 2016

A spectacular finish to a spectacular race, a fitting stage winner but an unassuming champion – so the second Abu Dhabi Tour ended on Sunday evening, in what already seems like a well-embedded tradition, at the Yas Marina Circuit.

Mark Cavendish, the tour ambassador, won the stage, his second of the Tour and ended up with the green jersey for the points classification title. But it was the unassuming Estonian Tanel Kangert, of the Astana team, who won the red jersey and with it the overall Tour.

That came courtesy his win on the gruelling Jebel Hafeet climb on the third stage on Saturday. And it was his first overall Tour win in a career in which he has played the solid support act to the big names.

More Abu Dhabi Tour

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He has done it without complaint too. After winning on Saturday he was quick to thank his team and teammate Vincenzo Nibali in particular for allowing him the chance to go for the win.

On Sunday evening, beaming in the red jersey, he insisted that a first overall win would not change the way he looked at next season, or his role in the team (soon to lose Nibali).

“No, no, I still love my position in the team,” he said. “If I get occasionally the chance to do my own results then I would love to take it and use it.

“But I am not the big champion. I am not going to be the big champion. I’d love to win a race or two per year always.”

As if to drive home the point of how big he is not, he mingled in the aftermath of the presentations with six (this correspondent counted them meticulously) fans from Estonia.

They were jubilant, he was jubilant, but it could well have been an intimate family gathering.

Maybe it will hit him at some point over the next week what he has accomplished.

“I have to say it’s a great way to finish the season for me and for the team,” he said. “I thank all my teammates who were here because none of them will be in the team except me.

“We have had a great time together. For me personally it was the first time on the podium in a race like this. First time overall victory, and I hope it was the first of a few to come.”

The stage itself was without incident. There was a five-man breakaway at the start, involving Kristian House, Fredrik Frisson, Sergey Firsanov, Michal Paluta and Yauhen Sobal.

House, Frisson and Paluta eventually pushed on from the rest and continued their attacks until they were caught up on the last of the 26 laps of the 5.5km-circuit.

Cavendish and his Team Dimension Data took control of the final metres, however, beating Giacomo Nizzolo and Elia Viviani in the final sprint.

This was academic in context of the overall win, and Kangert said he had passed an easy night on Saturday after his Jebel Hafeet win.

“I cannot say I slept bad but I was still excited this morning,” he said. “But I think you have to be if you are really committed to racing and I certainly am, because without being nervous at all I think you are not serious.

“I was waiting for the race and in it I felt safe and comfortable. I even enjoyed racing in the dark. It was a special race, here at the FI circuit.

“[Evening races] are nice but they are very particular because it’s in the night, it is artificial light and everything seems to go much faster than it actually is.”

Then he was off to celebrate, though by now you should not be surprised by the relatively sober nature of his plans. How was he to celebrate?

“Dinner would be nice.”

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