2018 Abu Dhabi Tour

As the race was only added to the UCI World Tour calendar in 2017, all UCI WorldTeams were invited to the race, but not obligated to compete in the race. As such, seventeen of the eighteen WorldTeams – with the exception of FDJ – competed in the race,[5] up one on 2017. Three UCI Professional Continental teams competed as well, completing the 20-team peloton.[6]

The route for the 2018 edition of the race was released on 23 January 2018.[5] The race was extended from four stages to five,[5][7] with the addition of an individual time trial for the first time; as well as this, the summit finish of Jebel Hafeet ends the race instead of a circuit race at the Yas Marina motor racing circuit.

Stage schedule

Stage	Date	Route	Distance	Type		Winner
1	21 February	Madinat Zayed to Madinat Zayed	189 km (117 mi)		Flat stage	Alexander Kristoff (NOR)
2	22 February	Yas Mall to Yas Beach	154 km (96 mi)		Flat stage	Elia Viviani (ITA)
3	23 February	Nation Towers to Big Flag, Al Marina	133 km (83 mi)		Flat stage	Phil Bauhaus (GER)
4	24 February	Al Maryah Island to Al Maryah Island	12.6 km (8 mi)		Individual time trial	Rohan Dennis (AUS)
5	25 February	Qasr Al-Muwaiji to Jebel Hafeet	199 km (124 mi)		Medium-mountain stage	Alejandro Valverde (ESP)

In the 2018 Abu Dhabi Tour, four different jerseys were awarded. For the general classification, calculated by adding each cyclist's finishing times on each stage, and allowing time bonuses for the first three finishers at intermediate sprints and at the finish of mass-start stages, the leader received a red jersey.[5] This classification was considered the most important of the 2018 Abu Dhabi Tour, and the winner of the classification was considered the winner of the race.

Additionally, there was a points classification, which awarded a green jersey.[5] In the points classification, cyclists received points for finishing in the top 10 in a stage. For winning a stage, a rider earned 20 points, with 16 for second, 12 for third, 9 for fourth, 7 for fifth, 5 for sixth with a point fewer per place down to a single point for 10th place. Points towards the classification could also be accrued – on an 8–5–3–1 basis – at intermediate sprint points during each stage, with the exception of the individual time trial; these intermediate sprints also offered bonus seconds towards the general classification. There was also a sprints classification for the points awarded at the aforementioned intermediate sprints, where the leadership of which was marked by a black jersey.[5]

The fourth jersey represented the young rider classification, marked by a white jersey.[5] This was decided in the same way as the general classification, but only riders born after 1 January 1993 were eligible to be ranked in the classification.[5] There was also a classification for teams, in which the times of the best three cyclists per team on each stage were added together; the leading team at the end of the race was the team with the lowest total time.

Stage	Winner	General classification	Points classification	Young rider classification	Sprints classification	Team classification
1[13]	Alexander Kristoff	Alexander Kristoff	Alexander Kristoff	Caleb Ewan	Nikolay Trusov	Bardiani–CSF
2[14]	Elia Viviani	Elia Viviani	Elia Viviani	Danny van Poppel		Quick-Step Floors
3[15]	Phil Bauhaus			Phil Bauhaus		Bahrain–Merida
4[16]	Rohan Dennis	Rohan Dennis		Miles Scotson		BMC Racing Team
5[1]	Alejandro Valverde	Alejandro Valverde		Miguel Ángel López		Bora–Hansgrohe
Final[1]		Alejandro Valverde	Elia Viviani	Miguel Ángel López	Nikolay Trusov	Bora–Hansgrohe

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