Intro:

Germany's Marcel Kittel wins the second stage of the Dubai Tour in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Thursday (6th February), but Taylor Phinney of the United States retains the overall lead, 15 seconds ahead of Britain's Steve Cummings.

Script:

The second stage of the inaugral Dubai Tour took place on a wonderful bright and sunny day on Thursday.

The stage saw a flat 122km course starting in the city centre and going to Dubai Jumeirah, suggesting that the spoils would go to the sprinters.

BMC Racing's Taylor Phinney of the United States held the lead going into the stage following his win in the opening day.

A trio of riders attempted to break away from the main peloton early on, but they were easily reeled in.

As expected, there was a frantic sprint finish, and Germany's Marcel Kittel timed his run to perfection.

The Team Giant - Shimano rider crossed the line first in a time of 2 hours 50 minutes and 30 seconds, edging out Peter Sagan of Cannondale and Phinney.

Kittel duly took the applause as the stage winner, but it was Phinney who retained the leader's jersey.

The american holds a 15 second advantage over British team mate Steve Cummings and 17 seconds on Denmark's Lasse Norman Hansen of Garmin-Sharp,

Friday's third stage sees a 162 kilometre route to Hatta.