Morning Headlines: Abu Dhabi and Dubai Tours merge | Dauphiné route unveiled | Arashiro wins Tour de Taiwan

Abu Dhabi Tour and Dubai Tour merge

From 2019 Abu Dhabi Tour and Dubai Tour will merge giving birth to the UAE Tour. This action came following a Memorandum of Understanding signed by the Abu Dhabi and Dubai Sports Council on Wednesday. ““It will be a seven-day, seven-stage and that will allow us to pass through all the Emirates. We will continue to have our race attractive for sprinters, climbers and time trials. Our aim is to have teams locally and work more to include continental teams. We want to keep the same February schedule we have had both the Abu Dhabi and Dubai Tours. The UCI will decide on the dates. Our aim is to be one of the best races in the World Tour” said Abu Dhabi Sports Council general secretary Al Awani to daily The National.

Arashiro wins Tour de Taiwan, Pacioni takes stage 5

Yukiya Arashiro is the overall winner of 2018 Tour de Taiwan. Bahrain-Merida rider, in this case lined up by Janapese national squad, takes the success over Australian Jonathan Clarke (UnitedHealthCare) for a handful of seconds – two – and Belgian Jimmy Janssen (Cibel-Cebon). Luca Pacioni (Wilier Triestina-Selle Italia) takes stage 5 success winning the bunch sprint over Lucas Haedo (UnitedHealthcare) e Raymond Kreder (Team Ukyo), in this manner getting his second seasonal victory.

Criterium du Dauphiné route unveiled

Aso revealed the 2018 Criterium du Dauphiné route. The second seasonal World Tour stage-race on French soil will take place from June Sunday 3 to Sunday 10 and, as traditional, is a little taste of the Tour de France. This year’s edition is characterised by a 35-kilometers team time trial, in other words a Tour de France stage stage 3 dress rehearsal. Dauphiné’s opener individual time trial in followed by two sprinters-friendly ones and the final four day of racing are uphill finish stages that make this Criterium one of the toughest of recent years.

Stage 1: ITT Valence – Valence 6,6 km

Stage 2: Valence Saint – Just-Saint-Rambert 179 km