PREVIEW | UAE Tour 2023 stage 1 - Cavendish, Ewan, Groenewegen, Merlier, Bennett, Gaviria, Kooij, Gaviria and Démare all favourites for first win

Preview. Stage 1 of the UAE Tour will be a day for the sprinters, where the first yellow jersey of the race is to be attributed to the fastest rider over the finish line in Al Mirfa.

Stage one from Al Dhafra Castle to Al Mirfa is 151 kilometers long and will be a completely flat day. It will be a day virtually in the desert, with no climbs or changes of landscape throughout the day. The flat plains will lead the riders into the final town of Al Mirfa by the sea.

The finale will be more technical than all others throughout the race. Although it is unsure how small, the finish straight will be quite short as the riders go back and forth through the same road - on opposite directions - in the final kilometers. A right-hander will be present shortly after the finish line, meaning a battle for that corner between the leadouts and the sprinters will take place before the final punch.

The Weather

Strong northwestern wind. No excuses, no coverage, stage 1 will be wild and already test the GC riders to the maximum most likely. Not all sprinters will likely be able to contest for the win aswell. Big portions of the stage will have headwind, but in the finishing city there will be crosswinds. In the final sprint there seems to be a headwind until the final corner, where it switches to a cross-tailwind.

There will be a very large list of contenders for this sprint, as will be the case every single flat day. With 4 opportunities it is no surprise that the teams have sent their fast men and leadouts to the UAE, where there will be plenty World Tour wins - and points - available. Onto the opening day, let's take a look at each sprinter and their leadout.

Sam Bennett - Danny van Poppel - Shane Archbold - Ryan Mullen - Patrick Gamper

Tim Merlier - Bert van Lerberghe - Mauro Schmid - Josef Cerny

Dylan Groenewegen - Luka Mezgec - Blake Quick - Michael Hepburn

Arnaud Démare - Bram Welten - Laurence Pithie

Caleb Ewan - Jacopo Guarnieri - Rüdiger Selig - Michael Schwarzmann - Jarrad Drizners

Fernando Gaviria - Albert Torres

Phil Bauhaus - Nikias Arndt - Johan Price-Pejtersen

Gerben Thijssen - Boy van Poppel - Julius Johansen

Olav Kooij - Tosh van der Sande - TImo Roosen

Mark Cavendish - Cees Bol

Sam Welsford - Niklas Märkl - Alex Edmonson

Furthermore, the likes of Marijn van den Berg, Elia Viviani, Itamar Einhorn, Emils Liepins, Arvid de Kleijn and Juan Sebastián Molano will also have chances of being towards the front. It's a luxurious list in both quantity and quality when it comes to the sprinters.

This first day will also be a gauge to how well the leadouts will be functioning. It's not an easy task, specially in this field to make it work. Aditionally, luck will also have a meaningful role in this sprint, as with so many contenders many are bound to lose position and not be able to even see the front.

Prediction UAE Tour 2023 stage 1:

*** S.Bennett, Groenewegen, Merlier
** Démare, Gaviria, Bauhaus, Kooij
* Ewan, Thijssen, Cavendish, Welsford, Liepins, de Kleijn, Molano

Pick: Sam Bennett