We were promised sprint finishes at the Dubai Tour, but stage three was far from the straight-forward affair predicted.
Marcel Kittel may have followed up victory in front of the Palm Island Atlantis with another display of his sprinting prowess in Hatta, but his stage three triumph was owed to more than just his phenomenal wattage and acceleration.
The German answered many critics of his all-round ability with a stunning ride and an impeccably-timed sprint to win the stage.
Read on for our observations from the third stage over the following pages.
