Dubai Tour Stage 2: Cavendish Retains Blue Jersey with 2nd Place Finish

Etixx - Quick-Step and rider Mark Cavendish protected the race lead at Dubai Tour on Thursday, after the Manx Missile finished 2nd to Elia Viviani (Sky) in the 187km 2nd Stage. Cavendish was victorious in the Stage 1 bunch sprint arrival.

The race came back together with 9.6km to go, as the peloton brought back Rafaa Chtioui (Skydive Dubai), who went solo out of a breakaway with 53km to go. Etixx - Quick-Step did a great job once again working to chase the breakaway down for the sprint.

Etixx - Quick-Step was on the front in the final few kilometers, led by Tony Martin. A 180-degree turn left the peloton battling for position into the turn and out of it, but the team was able to stay near the front. Team Sky began to move up on the left and established commanding position on the front with 1.3km to go. It appeared Etixx - Quick-Step was boxed in, but the team worked their way out of the situation and by 1km to go they were back in front.

The final sprint was a bit chaotic, and Viviani won out of the group arrival. Andrea Guardini (Astana) was 3rd.

Cavendish also kept the red points jersey.

Etixx - Quick-Step looks next to 205km Stage 3 on Friday. This stage could make the difference for the GC, as it is hilly, and includes a finish on Hatta Dam, which includes a ramp of 17 percent gradient.

"The finish was pretty hard," Cavendish said. "We were well organized, but so were the other teams. The wind was coming from the left, we knew it was coming from the left. Unfortunately we were on the wrong side on the last roundabout. It's really a drag race until that U-turn. We just lost the right position going into it. So we had to come around the hard way into the wind. The guys did an incredible job coming around on the windy side, which says a lot because they had to chase pretty much the whole day. That situation just took me out of my comfort zone a little bit and I just lost the legs there in the sprint. But I looked at my power and I was happy with my power in the end. I am happy with the team. Elia was just faster today, and that's it, he deserved the win. We'll see what we can do to protect my leadership tomorrow with the Hatta Dam stage, and then see if we can go for another sprint win on the last stage."