Press conference quotes GERMANY'S MARCEL KITTEL, FASTEST OF THE FAST MAN PHINNEY RETAINS OVERALL LEAD Marcel Kittel won today the second stage of the Dubai Tour. On the windy final sprint, the German sprinter anticipated the Slovakian Peter Sagan and the race leader, the American Taylor Phinney. Nothing has changed in the individual general rankings with Phinney still leader in all four. Please find below declarations from the stage winner's press conference and the race leader post-stage declarations. Marcel Kittel (Team Giant – Shimano): Dubai. "Personally I like Dubai - I've been here already as a tourist once - and it's also very important to test the lead out train to see how well it goes. We've got very good guys, and today it all worked out good so that makes me happy too." Lead-Out. "We planned to be in front out of the tunnel, because we knew the wind would be there, so it was a bit calculated that we wouldn't have enough riders in the end, so they brought me to the final 500m and I got on the wheel of Taylor Phinney. He started his sprint early, I waited there… and I'm happy I've won today." Crossing the finish line first. "Crossing the finish line first is a very nice feeling, of course, and for me as a sprinter it's important to get the win, but I like to celebrate it as a team win in the end. because everyone works for one goal, and in the end I'm the lucky guy who gets to finish it off. It's always a big relief when we finish first. I can also understand the anger of the riders who finish 2nd. I would be angry too if I wasn't first." Rivalries among the sprinters. "I'm trying to go my own way, to follow the goals that I personally have, together with the team. Then we have to see who we have to beat to achieve those goals. Here it's Cavendish, and I can't deny that this race is important because it is an opportunity to sprint against him. At 1.5k we moved up next to his team and Cavendish was still there. I didn't see what happened - I don't have eyes in the back of my head - but personally for me it's much more satisfying if you can beat a sprinter next to each other, when you fight it out and you can see them. It makes it more interesting for the spectators. It's fighting for the win that gives you a lot of excitement, and I like that." Taylor Phinney (BMC Racing Team): The decision to sprint. "I didn't know Thor punctured until you told me. It's definitely hectic in any race that's short, and then you put in the wind, it's a kind of cluster in the final. I wasn't thinking of going for the sprint. In the final couple of kilometres, everybody was all over the place, no team was really organised. We knew coming out of the tunnel that there was a big chance there could be really strong crosswinds so Klaus Lodewyck took me to the front, and I just stayed there and tried to stay safe." How the sprint unfolded. "I knew with it being a tail cross sprint, mostly tailwind, that you could jump early and you could maybe stay, so I saw 500 m to go and I was just moving up ion the left side, and decided I'd just give it a really long sprint and see if I could take some of the pure sprinters by surprise. I was thinking of staying safe and keeping the jersey and the best way of staying safe was just to sprint early and stay out of the carnage. I was really happy with 3rd place." Phinney, the sprinter? "I've been working a lot on my sprint and it's something I want to do better in, it's something that I have to physical capabilities to do well in, but it's a lot about timing and tactics and so any sprint that I can be up in the mix for is a good one. I've been racing against these guys since we were juniors, and now we are pros, I see their success and I say, 'Well, maybe I can still do this.'" Tomorrow's stage. "Tomorrow's the biggest day. We're in the desert, and we'll see how the wind is when we're out there. It's going to be nervous. Sidewinds make this one of the most unpredictable sports in the world, so it's all about staying safe. The team believes in me, I believe in the team, and once we get into those little climbs, i"m confident in my ability to stay with the best guys. So well take it K by K tomorrow. Hopefully all goes well, but tomorrow's the big test, I'm sure." For further details: SHIFT Active Media RCS Sport Matteo Cavazzuti Stefano Diciatteo RCS Sport cycling press office RCS Sport press office coordinator Ph. (+44) 01225 448333 Ph.: (+39) 02 25848758 Ph.: (+39) 348 5838779 Mob.: (+39) 335 5468466 E-mail: [email protected] E-mail: [email protected] Tw.: @Shiftactive - @MatCavazzuti Tw.: @rcssport - @stedicia .