Former world champion Mark Cavendish took the overall lead at the Dubai Tour after winning Wednesday’s opening stage in a sprint finish.

The Briton held off Italians Andrea Guardini and Elia Viviani following the 145-kilometer route from the Dubai International Marine Club to Union House Flag.

Cavendish, the 2011 road world champion, launched his sprint finish a touch too early after his sprint train, with Australian Mark Renshaw as last leadout man, broke up in the final run-in.

As he approached the line, Cavendish was nearly caught by Guardini. A photo finish confirmed the Etixx-Quick-Step rider had won.

Cavendish super happy after Dubai Tour success.

Mark Cavendish admitted he can't remember exactly how many races he has now won during his career - 121 according to the Procycling stats website, but his victory on the opening stage at the Dubai Tour was a clear message to his rivals and rivals and detractors: He still loves winning and is still ambitious and hungry for success.

Indeed, Cavendish hopes that Etixx-Quick-Step can again be the most successful team in the peloton and wants to win as many of the team's total as he can.

2014-15 Races & Results.

Ladies Tour of Qatar 2015 - Feb 3-6 (Stages & Results),

Dubai Tour 2015 - Feb 4-7 (Stages & Results),

Tour of Qatar 2015 - Feb 8-13 (Stages),

Giro d'Italia 2015 - May 9-31 (Stages),

Tour de France 2015 - July 4-26 (Stages),

Vuelta a España 2015 - Aug 22-Sept 13 (Stages),

UCI Road World Championship 2015 - Sept 20-27 (Stages),

UCI Cyclo-cross World Championships - Jan 31-Feb 1 (Results),

Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race - Feb 1 (Results),

Santos Tour Down Under 2015 - Jan 18-25 (Results),

UCI Road World Championship 2014 - Sept 20-27 (Results),

Vuelta a España 2014 - Aug 23-Sept 14 (Results),

Tour de France 2014  - July 5-27 (Results),

Giro d'Italia 2014 - May 9 - June 1 (Results).

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Dubai Tour 2015 Live Dashboard ...

2015 Dubai Tour LIVE.

Wednesday's (February 4) Dubai Tour Stage 1 (the Westin Dubai stage) departs Dubai at 11:55am local (8:55am CET, 2:55am U.S. Eastern) and is expected at the finish at Dubai Union House Flag at around 3:30pm local (12:30pm CET, 6:30am U.S. Eastern). 

Dubai Tour live video streaming is expected to begin at around 2:00pm local (11:00am CET, 5:00am U.S. Eastern).

Dubai Tour news shorts: Cavendish aims for more wins, Boaro steals bonus seconds during late-race move.

Bardiani-CSF's Simion in the white jersey, Valls represents Lampre-Merida in the day's breakaway.

Sagan poised for season debut in most important year yet for his career.

The clock is ticking and Peter Sagan’s time with the Tinkoff-Saxo team is officially moving into a new phase.

The Slovakian rider transferred to the team from previous squad Cannondale over the winter and, after training hard and getting to know his new team-mates, will finally affix a race number and make his competitive debut on Sunday.

“I raced in Qatar four years ago and that was the start of a great season,” said the three-time Tour de France green jersey winner, who hopes to make a Classics breakthrough this season. “I think it’s the right race for my official start in the Tinkoff-Saxo jersey. I look forward to start racing there.”

What Does the Podium Ride? Tech Analysis of the 2015 Cyclocross World Championship in Tabor.

By far and away, Shimano pedals were the choice of the top 16, with 62.5% of confirmed riders sporting them on their bikes.

Because riders tend to be a little more selective about their pedals, and wouldn’t likely change them over with the new year, we could safely say that 81.25% of the riders are actually using Shimano pedals.

Tour de France ace Brian Robinson inspires youngsters at Netherthong Primary School .

Tour de France hero Brian Robinson helped youngsters at a Holmfirth school come top of the class.

Brian, 84, of Mirfield, was chosen as one of the four inspirational figures to be honored at Netherthong Primary School.

Brian, the first Briton to win a stage of the Tour in 1958, was one, along with Marsden poet Simon Armitage, whose wife Sue was a previous chairman of governors; former Netherthong pupil and author Annabel Pitcher; and Leeds-based Olympic and Commonwealth gold medal-winning boxer Nicola Adams.

High performance program cut is a symptom of a bigger problem.

If there were a manual on how to become a professional cyclist, “don’t be female” would be an apt opener.

The scale of the women’s professional cycling industry means there are precious few opportunities for talented riders to progress to the top level of the sport.

The Australian women’s European Development Program that had been implemented to address the problem has been closed down until further notice.

The decision has been debated and viewed as anything from a sensible solution to a malicious abandonment.

With women’s cycling seemingly exploding with visible signs of growth, this was a significant moment of perhaps unexpected calamity for the elite end of the sport in Australia. But what does it mean?

The 2015 cycling season according to Bronzini 

Cucinotta wins Ladies Tour of Qatar opener.

Olds begins 2015 season with a bang in Qatar.

Van Dijk takes control at the Ladies Tour of Qatar.

Ellen van Dijk moved into the overall lead at the Ladies Tour of Qatar after powering to victory at Madinat Al Shamal on stage 2.

The Dutchwoman forced her way clear of the winning six-woman group in the final to win by three seconds.

Trixi Worrack swept up second place, just ahead of Van Dijk’s teammate Lizzi Armitstead.

Chloe Hosking and Elisa Longo Borghini and Emma Johansson rounded out the lead group, which finished almost two minutes clear of the peloton and will surely decide final overall victory among them.

American team’s nightmare start at the Ladies Tour of Qata.

The American Optum p/b Kelly Benefit team endured a nightmare start to this year’s Ladies Tour of Qatar, losing two of its six riders after Tuesday’s opening stage.

Canadian Annie Ewart couldn’t start the race as she was suffering with a fever, and then American Maura Kinsella departed stage one in an ambulance after a crash caused by riders hitting sizeable cat’s eyes in the road.

Lucy Garner’s Ladies Tour of Qatar: Stage two.

"It's safe to say that Wednesday's second stage, from Al Zubarah Fort to Madinat Al Shamal will end up being the toughest as well as the longest of the race.

Today’s stage was hard. Really hard. I don’t think many riders expected it to be as difficult as it turned out to be today, and that was all because of the crosswinds. The leading group went almost straight away after the neutralized zone, and to give you an idea what it’s like in those conditions, I didn’t even realize the leaders had gone clear.

I was riding head down, fighting for position, trying to keep on the wheel in front and attempting to stay sheltered."

Ladies Tour of Qatar shorts: Heartbreak for Hosking.

Pieters powers on, Johansson not giving up.

Laws out of Ladies Tour of Qatar with broken collarbone.

Sharon Laws has been forced out of the Ladies Tour of Qatar after breaking her left collarbone in a crash on stage one.

The British rider was able to finish the stage, despite her heavy fall, but x-rays have revealed the break.

It’s not known whether the Bigla rider will undergo surgery as she plans her recovery.

2014’s Top Women … And What They’ll Do Next.

After a very exciting World cyclo-cross championships battle at the weekend and the start of the Ladies Tour of Qatar yesterday (Tuesday), Gordan Cameron has taken a look at the ‘Top Ten’ women for the 2015 season. Marianne Vos is not at the top of his list, so you might be surprised with the line-up.

Not that long ago, some would argue, the ability gap between the top women’s riders, especially between Marianne Vos and the rest, was so vast that it was best measured using zip codes. Vos is still, arguably, the best all-round rider there is, but now the margins are narrowing.

As the Tour of Qatar begins, here’s a personal and arbitrary look at the top women’s performers of 2014, and a few pointers about what to expect this season.

Clarke benefits from experience at Jayco Herald Sun Tour.

Having finished third at last year's Jayco Herald Sun Tour prologue, a new shorter 2.1-km course along Melbourne's Southbank proved beneficial to Will Clarke as he won his first race of the year in front of over 20,000 spectators on a balmy evening in the Victorian capital.

Clarke's teammate Brenton Jones had earlier set the fastest time only to be unseated by Caleb Ewan.

Out on course, Clarke set the fastest time at the half-way point and when he crossed the line with a time of 2:35.53 minutes, he has taken the race lead by a single second.

In the News: Van Aert defends bike choice after worlds.

A dropped chain early in the elite world cyclocross championship race may have derailed Wout Van Aert’s chance to ride for a rainbow jersey on Saturday.

On Wednesday at the Park Cross race in Maldegem, Belgium, the 20-year-old Belgian told Sporza, “There is nothing wrong with my bike.”

Despite having switched to a SRAM CX1 single-chainring drivetrain only a few weeks before worlds, Van Aert said, “I had really bad luck and that’s the last say on that bike.”

Armour: Lance Armstrong's latest incident shouldn't surprise anyone.

Merckx: Bradley Wiggins ‘cannot afford to fail’ in Hour Record ride.

North American riders create representative association.

Froome takes motivation out of 2014 setbacks .

Daily Distractions.

Steve Tilford: Herbal Supplements – Most likely a Total Fraud.

DaveMoulton: Chillin.

Will Clarke wins Jayco Herald Sun Tour opener.

On a warm evening along Melbourne’s Southbank, Will Clarke claimed victory in the Jayco Herald Sun Tour prologue to pull on the first leader’s jersey of the race.

Having placed third last year, Clarke posted the fastest time at the half-way check and crossed the line still holding the fastest time of 2:35.53 minutes.

Clarke disposed Caleb Ewan from the hot seat who in turn had knocked Clarke's teammate Brenton Jones off the porch.

Boeckmans wins stage 1 at Étoile de Bessèges.

Belgian beats Theuns and Coledan.

A Tale of Two Races.

The Dubai Tour starts today and so does the Etoile de Bessèges.

Both offer several days of racing in the early season but the comparisons stop there as the Emirati race outbids its rivals on almost every scale.

The Etoile long been an essential part of the early season in France but will it survive much longer?

There’s nothing explicit to say the Etoile is struggling but the implicit signs are there, it’s not on TV and its website is basic.

The Dubai Tour is on TV – Eurosport among others – while the Etoile will hope for a clip on the evening news bulletin on a regional news channel, (follow it in French via directvelo.com).

2015 Tour of the Mediterranean cancelled.

The Tour of the Mediterranean, initially scheduled for February 12-15, will not take place due to an ongoing financial dispute with the French National Cycling League (LNC).

The French National Olympic Committee (CNOSF) convened on Wednesday to try to reach an agreement, but it could not, and the race has been cancelled for 2015. The issue stems from unpaid prize money due from last season’s race. If it is paid by June the race may be able to return in 2016

“The race, however, may take place next year if the situation is resolved by June for inclusion on the calendar,” said LNC president Marc Madiot.

Bookwalter backs the creation of North American riders' association.

BMC rider Brent Bookwalter says the newly created ANAPRC (Association of North American Professional Road Cyclists) wants to be pro-active rather than confrontational in the way it interacts with the UCI, teams and race organisers, as it tries defend the interests of the riders in the peloton.

One of ANAPRC's first goals is to help with the introduction of an Extreme Weather Protocol, where clear rules decide if and how races should be held in extreme heat or cold.

Boswell wants a crack at the Tour of California.

Following two seasons of service to the big names at Sky, Ian Boswell wants to take a crack at the Amgen Tour of California.

“It’s a race where I can put my hand up and say I want to have some opportunity there,” the young American told VeloNews, while tucked into a small patch of shade prior to Wednesday’s start of the Dubai Tour.

Boswell has performed well on home soil before, and in races of similar size. The chance to lead has rarely presented itself since he signed with the British outfit, but in 2012 he rode to fifth overall in a mountainous Tour of Utah, riding for Axel Merckx’s Trek-Livestrong program, now known as Axeon Cycling.

A top-10 result at the Route du Sud last year confirmed his ability to mix it up at the front of the UCI World Tour.

Jan Bakelants hopes for fresh start with Ag2r.

Jan Bakelants is ready to put 2014 behind him.

He’s ready to put mononucleosis and the flu behind him. And now, having left a one-year deal with Omega Pharma-Quick Step, he’s ready to find success with his new team, Ag2r La Mondiale.

On the day after his 29th birthday, Jan Bakelants will make his 2015 debut with Ag2r at the Clasica de Almeria.

Bakelants signed with the French outfit at the conclusion of the 2014 season.

Over the course of his year with Omega Pharma-Quick Step, he played a variety of roles on a variety of terrains, both in support of his teammates and as a featured rider.

How to Buy a Bike That's Used, Not Abused.

"Small chips and scrapes in the paint are usually okay, but avoid rusty frames and those with dents or cracks on the tubes, says Nick Martin, owner of The Pro's Closet, which sells secondhand cycling gear on eBay.

Look closely underneath the bottom bracket and around the frame joints, where cracks are more likely to form."

BikeSnobNYC: There's no "I" in "transit." Oh, wait, yes there is.