Intro:

Giant-Shimano's Marcel Kittel won again on the Dubai Tour on Friday while BMC's Taylor Phinney maintained his overall lead.

Script:

Germany's Marcel Kittel won his second straight stage at the Dubai Tour with victory in the third leg on Friday.

Kittel fended off Juan Jose Lobato and Peter Sagan in the closing metres to take the stage with a sprint finish.

In the general classification, American Taylor Phinney (BMC Racing) held onto his race lead and with only one stage left looks on course to seal the overall.

It looked like Sagan was set for the stage win as he and his Cannondale team mates attacked aggressively with around 7 kilometres to go.

Sagan took advantage of some space following the stage's final climb.

The stage looked perfect for Sagan but in the end he trailed home in third, with Kittel once again raising his arms in victory.