ABU DHABI: Rui Costa avoided any late mishaps to win the Tour of Abu Dhabi after Australia’s Caleb Ewan claimed Sunday’s fourth and final stage in a sprint finish under rain and floodlights at the Yas Marina Formula One circuit.

Portugal’s former world champion Costa, riding for the home-based Team Emirates, took a decisive lead in the race with success in Saturday’s third stage when he outsprinted Russian Ilnur Zakarin after an 11km climb to the finish.

And he kept out of trouble to top the overall standings by four seconds from Zakarin, with Dutch rider Tom Dumoulin in third.

The 30-year-old Costa is showing powerful early season form after also coming second in the Tour of Oman.

Orica-Scott’s Ewan of Australia held off Briton Mark Cavendish (Dimension Data) and Germany’s Andre Greipel (Lotto Soudal) in a bunch sprint after 143 km of racing to take the closing day honours.

Published in Dawn, February 28th, 2017