Abu Dhabi Tour: Cavendish wins stage 2

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Mark Cavendish (Dimension Data) timed his sprint perfectly to edge out Elia Viviani (Team Sky) and win stage 2 of the Abu Dhabi Tour. Andrea Guardini (Astana) finished third.

Vivani hit the front with 150 metres to go after a strong lead-out from Team Sky but Cavendish used the Italian's rear wheel to catapult to victory after missing out on stage 1.

The win moved Cavendish into the leader's jersey, replacing Trek-Segafredo's Giacomo Nizzolo, with the British rider gaining a four-second advantage. The sprinters’ teams almost missed out with the day’s early break surviving until the final 850 metres before being swallowed up by the bunch.

Jan Polanc (Lampre-Merida), Stanislau Bazhkou (Minsk), Dion Smith and Samuel Williams (ONE), Jens Keukeleire (Orica-BikeExchange) and Eugert Zhupa (Willier-Southeast) were the riders to shift free from the bunch in the opening kilometres and despite the flat parcours, were content to build a lead before the rest of the peloton sprung into action.

The leaders toiled but created a gap of over two minutes before the Trek-Segafredo, Giant-Alpecin and Dimension Data set about dismantling the lead.

Two minutes soon became one, and despite the best efforts from the break, the firepower at the front of the peloton appeared too great.

However, a lull in pace allowed the break – minus Stanislau Bazhkou, who sat up – to bring their lead closer to two minutes and with 16km remaining they had 1:47 over a fraught bunch.

Slowly but surely the bunch fought back. Michal Kwiatkowski (Team Sky), Kiel Reijnen (Trek-Segafredo) and Davide Rebellin (CCC Sprandi) traded turns on the front before the bunch finally made contact with the break.

Andy Fenn (Team Sky) led around the final corner with Olympic Omnium winner, Viviani, on his wheel and Cavendish neatly tucked in. Viviani opened up his sprint first with Cavendish – forced to fight for himself briefly after losing his lead-out man Mark Renshaw, before coming around Viviani to take the spoils.
 

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