The 174km stage was cut to 159km by removing the 14.5km finishing circuit in Madinat Zayed. The riders and teams had been concerned about racing in the heat at the start of the stage after seeing forecasts for 39C at the finish in Madinat Zayed. The first two hours of the race was covered at an average of 34km/h and so cutting the final 14.5km also ensured the race finished close to schedule.
The average temperature for Abu Dhabi in October is 29C but temperatures are expected to remain close to 38C for the remaining three days of the Abu Dhabi Tour.
Stephen is one of the most experienced members of the Cyclingnews team, having reported on professional cycling since 1994. Before becoming Editor-at-large, he was Head of News at Cyclingnews. He has previously worked for Shift Active Media, Reuters and Cycling Weekly. He is a member of the Board of the Association Internationale des Journalistes du Cyclisme (AIJC).
