@Dubaitour FERNANDO ALONSO WAVES OFF THE 'SPORTS STAGE'

The Formula 1 driver, twice the World Champion, dropped the flag to start the stage this morning, and follows the race as a special guest.


From left: Mr. Osama al Shafar, Fernando Alonso, Saeed Hareb. Photo credit ANSA/Peri-Carconi

Welcome to stage two of the inaugural Dubai Tour, over a 122-km route that leads from the Dubai Tour Start Village beneath the World Trade Centre, to the Atlantis five-Star Resort on the Palm Jumeira. The race itinerary takes in Dubai's most important sports complexes: the Hippodrome, the Olympic pool, the Al Qudra cycle path, the Autodrome and the extraordinary Golf Club.
127 starters passed km 0 on schedule at 12.25. No non-starters.

JERSEYS
All the jerseys are currently held by yesterday's stage winner, Taylor Phinney (BMC). Phinney wears the race leader. During today's stage, the following riders wear the other  jerseys:
RACE LEADER (blue jersey) by RTA: Taylor Phinney (BMC)
POINTS LEADER (red jersey) by EMIRATES: Steven Cummings (BMC)
BEST YOUNG RIDER (white jersey) by DUBAI SPORTS COUNCIL: Lasse Norman Hansen (GRS)
INTERMEDIATE SPRINTS (white, red, green and black jersey) by DUBAI SPORTS: Fabian Cancellara (TFR)
 

From left: Steve Cummings, Taylor Phinney, Alberto Rui Costa, Vincenzo Nibali, Mark Cavendish. Photo credit ANSA/Peri-Carconi
WEATHER
Clear skies, 20-21 degrees Celsius, humidity 49%, wind 37 km/h.

STAGE DETAILS
A stage of two parts: the first generally outside the city limits - partly in the desert - and the second in the Dubai Marina area, with the stage finish at Palm Jumeirah. The first part takes in wide, well-surfaced boulevards of up to six lanes. The route then turns towards the Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Sports Complex, via a succession of large, sweeping roundabouts, with the first intermediate sprint on the entry straight at km 42. The second intermediate sprint is located near the Al-Qudra Cycle track at km 58.5. The race route re-enters central Dubai near Dubai Motor City. Several sectors are paved with stone slabs or setts, sometimes alternating between the two. Many turns, counter-turns and short bottlenecks lead all the way up to Palm Jumeirah, where the race course then becomes mainly straight.

FINAL KILOMETERS
The stage enters the final part of the Palm via an underwater tunnel. Rumble strips, clearly-marked, crisscross the descent into the tunnel and the climb out of it. 3.2 km before the finish line there is a U-turn . The final 3 kilometres are nearly straight (although the road never ceases to bend slightly). There are a number of roundabouts. The home stretch is 800 m long, bending slightly, on 7 m wide asphalt.
Meeting point: Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC)
Signing in: 10.50-12.10
Ceremonial start and roll out: 12.15
Race start at km 0: D73 - 12.25

CURIOSITIES
FERNANDO ALONSO: The Formula 1 driver, formerly the World Champion and soon to be cycling team boss, was at the stage start this morning, and will follow the race as a special guest.
MEYDAN RACECOURSE (km 12)
Accommodates 60,000 spectators in a grandstand a mile long. Racing season starts November with 10-week winter Racing Challenge, becomes more intense in January, culminates late March with Dubai Cup, world’s richest horse race, prize money: US$10 million.
HAMDAN SPORTS COMPLEX (km 42)
A modern, integrated stadium for water sports and track and field. Interior and exterior architecture draws on traditional Arab culture. 24 hectares, seating for 15,000, the complex can host 13 different sports. Two Olympic pools, each with moveable floors to allow conversion to a 25-metre pool and a diving pool. Hosted a leg of the FINA Swimming World Cup 2013.
AL QUDRA CYCLE TRACK (km 58)
Two brand new cycling paths on Al Qudra Road, with a total length of 86 km. The first track stretches 18 km besides the northern part of Al Qudra Road. It joins the second track and continues through the desert dunes. The Dubai Sports Council announced the first Dubai Tour at the track's inauguration in January 2014.
MOTOR CITY & SPORTS CITY (km 75)
Two fascinating complexes, still in construction, fully dedicated to sport. Already completed are the Cricket Stadium (capacity: 25,000) and the Autodrome, a FIA-sanctioned, 5.39km motor racing circuit with a race calendar that includes the FIA GT.

PALM JUMEIRAH (km 110)
An artificial archipelago 5 km by 5 km  (3.1 by 3.1 miles) on reclaimed land, in the shape of a palm with a tree trunk, a crown of 17 fronds and a surrounding crescent island that functions as an 11km (6.8 mile) breakwater. A 300-metre (980ft) bridge connects the crown to the mainland. An undersea tunnel connects the crescent to the top of the palm. The Palm Jumeirah is the first of three planned islands, with Palm Jebel Ali and Palm Deira set to join it.