Despite missing out on a stage victory at the Tour Down Under, Marcel Kittel swept aside the competition at the recent inaugural Dubai Tour to claim three consecutive stage victories.
With Mark Cavendish unable to achieve a top 10 finish on any of the three road race stages, the pressure will be on the “Manx Missile” to silence the critics.
While Kittel was expected to compete for the stage honours during Stages One and Three, a ten-kilometre prologue commencing the 2.1 categorised race, few expected the hulking German to survive the climbs near the finish of Stage Two.
Kittel would appear from nowhere to surprise everyone, including his teammates due to the absence of race radios, to deny Peter Sagan an expected stage win.
Contrary to the 2013 cycling season, Marcel Kittel and his Giant-Shimano sprint train have begun the season on fine form. With the Giant-Shimano sprint train often functioning better on the day than Omega Pharma – Quick-Step’s lead out of Tony Martin, Alessandro Petacchi and Mark Renshaw.
After approaching the inaugural Dubai Tour with great expectations of a General Classification victory with reigning World Time Trial champion Tony Martin and high hopes of a stage victory for Mark Cavendish, Omega Pharma – Quick-Step will leave the 2014 Dubai Tour slightly dismayed.
Yet another second place finish behind a German sprinter on the final stage of a race for Mark Renshaw will be faint solace for the Belgian outfit.
Writing off the chances of Mark Cavendish defending his throne as the world’s current greatest sprinter, however, would be ill-advised.
The “Manx Missile” to date has always bounced back to silence his critics, and Giant-Shimano experienced similar issues during 2013 while perfecting their sprint train for the 100th Tour de France.
The third and final stage of the 2014 Dubai Tour will act as a base for Omega Pharma – Quick-Step to build upon in their steady build up to the 2014 Tour de France.
The Belgian outfit’s makeshift lead out for Mark Renshaw, after a Cavendish collision with a plastic bollard within the final two kilometres, managed to compete with Giant-Shimano despite being a rider short.
It is just a shame that Andre Greipel and Lotto Belisol were not in attendance as well so that we could have an early comparison between the three sprinters and their teams in regards to form, fitness and organisation. Lotto Belisol is still arguably the best drilled sprint train since the demise of HTC-Columbia.
It’s something Cavendish and Omega Pharma – Quick-Step will be hoping to replicate with the recruitment of Petacchi and return of trusted right-hand man Renshaw in the months ahead before the grand depart of the 2014 Tour de France.
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