Extreme heats causes stage shortening at Abu Dhabi Tour

The Abu Dhabi Tour press conference

The Abu Dhabi Tour press conference (Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)

The first stage of the Abu Dhabi Tour was reduced by 14.5km due to the high temperatures the riders faced on the desert roads.

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.

More to follow..

Thank you for reading 5 articles in the past 30 days*

Join now for unlimited access

Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1

*Read any 5 articles for free in each 30-day period, this automatically resets

After your trial you will be billed £4.99 $7.99 €5.99 per month, cancel anytime. Or sign up for one year for just £49 $79 €59

Join now for unlimited access

Try your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1