Marcel Kittel was a proud man on Saturday after defending his Dubai Tour title with another majestic sprint finish on the fifth and final stage.
Winner of the first two stages, the Quick-Step Floors rider once again timed his sprint to perfection on the 124-kilometre Meeras Stage, crossing the finish line in City Walk ahead of Team Sky’s Elia Viviani and Riccardo Minali of Astana Pro Team for the 75th stage win of his career.
"I’m extremely proud of what I achieved today - my second Dubai Tour overall in a row, my 75th career victory," said Kittel after receiving the Circle of Stars winner’s trophy from Sheikh Mansoor Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum.
"It is something special because there are not many opportunities when I have the chance to go for general classification. So yeah, I have added one more title now and that is really cool. I am really proud of that because it shows consistency over a few days, not just by myself, but also by the team.
"The season is long, but I can take a lot of confidence from this win. There will be lots of ups and downs, but I believe we have made a really good start so far."
The National