Etixx – Quick-Step cycling team rider Mark Cavendish spoke with the media at a Dubai Tour press conference on Tuesday, before the race starts on Wednesday. Below are some of his comments.
On what sprinters have the best form at the moment
"Anything can happen in a sprint, so you can't really judge the form of a sprinter on a sprint," Cavendish said. "You judge it on everything else that goes on around the race. It's a good group of sprinters here. John Degenkolb is here, you've got Andrea Guardini, and several others. We should see some good racing here. There's three sprint stages in Dubai. The wind may be a factor but it wasn't last year. It's really good to get the early season rolling. I don't think anyone is in the form they're going to be in July. It's just about getting training in for the sprint and working on the teams a little bit."
On who the favorites are at Dubai Tour
"I think it depends on who you talk to as to who the favorites are here," Cavendish said. "There's a lot of good riders here this year. I think last year attracted a lot of the top riders in the world, and I think it shows the quality of the race when the top riders are back this year. I'm just excited to race with Etixx – Quick-Step and try and produce at least some stage wins and see what we get for the overall."
On Dubai Tour and the parcours
"Dubai is an important race," Cavendish said. "I really enjoy it, first and foremost. But in doing Tour de San Luis and Dubai aren't WorldTour races, but they definitely give the intensity to build up for the season. Etixx – Quick-Step came here with a strong team. We'll see what happens. The third stage is difficult with the Hatta Dam, and it has some hills, so it is a difficult stage. It's hard to find hills around here, but they've done a good job to find a route that isn't going to be a sprint. But we'll see. I know we are here to win stages. Etixx – Quick-Step is the team that won the most races in 2014 and we are back this year with the hopes to repeat or better the success of the previous season. I'm looking forward to seeing what we can do."