The BMC Racing Team captured the team classification at the Dubai Tour for the second straight year Saturday while past world road champion Philippe Gilbert finished eighth overall.
Joining Gilbert on the winning team was Brent Bookwalter, Marcus Burghardt, Stefan Küng, Klaas Lodewyck, Daniel Oss, Manuel Quinziato and Rick Zabel. Lodewyck was lost to a broken collarbone in a crash during Friday's stage.
BMC Racing Team Sport Director Max Sciandri said repeating as team champions was a good way to start a swing of three races in the Middle East that continues Sunday with the start of the Tour of Qatar and later with the Tour of Oman.
"We tried really hard yesterday with Philippe and we had a great team around him," Sciandri said. "It was a hard little finish, so it didn't really come out as planned. Today, we had a great ride by Daniel Oss. I think the guys are coming out of it with great condition."
On Saturday, Oss was part of a five-man breakaway that held off the peloton until the last six kilometers of the 123-km race. A member of the gold medal-winning squad at the world team time trial championships last fall, Oss said he followed the move to protect the BMC Racing Team's three-second lead in the team standings.
"When the rider from UnitedHealthcare attacked, I followed," Oss said. "We controlled the sprint bonifications and that was good. I tried to attack with 20 kilometers to go, but it was not easy because of the wind. But it was good for testing my condition."
Mark Cavendish (Etixx-Quick Step) won the final stage to capture the overall title a year after Taylor Phinney won the title and helped the BMC Racing Team win the team classification in the race's inaugural edition.
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