The Tour of Dubai route was announced yesterday, and already now some of its favorites have been revealed. Mark Cavendih, Fabian Cancellara, Marcel Kittel and Peter Sagan numbers amongst the stars of the inaugural race.

Cancellara and Sagan seem poised to clash during the opening time trial (10km), and the Slovak, Cavendish and Kittel will no doubt be fierce rivals during the flat stages (stage two and four), and likely also in the more bumpy third stage.

Saeed Hareb, the chairman of the Dubai Tour High Committee presented the new race: "We are pleased to host the inaugural Dubai Tour 2014 as it puts the spotlight on Dubai as a hub for important international sporting events.”

“We thank those who have made this possible, from the leadership of the Dubai

Sports Council to our event partners RSC Sports, as well as sponsors and the media. We are looking forward to a dramatic and exciting race featuring some of the most popular names in the sport as they battle to win the honor and prestige of winning the first Dubai Tour title.”

“We are really proud to be here today to underline our partnership with Dubai Sports Council and show how the development of the Dubai Tour project is now in its final stage,” he said.

“The course presentation, the sponsor’s introduction and the appointment of the TV broadcaster are all part of this great project that we have developed together in the last few months. We are now less than 60 days away from the start of the first edition of Dubai Tour and we are sure that this unique event will be widely appreciated at an international level.”

The race will be shown live on Eurosport.