Marcel Kittel (Giant-Shimano) survived the climbs and beat Juan Jose Lobato and Peter Sagan to win the queen stage of the Dubai Tour. We have already posted several reactions and have gathered a few more below.

Evan Huffman (Astana, part of the early breakaway, 117th +7.38)

“We got 7 and a half minutes at one point, but all six of us were riding hard, and we worked for that gap. It’s not super hard here, but it’s not easy – with the roads as wide as they are you can’t ever hide from the wind.

“I came here straight from Australia – a 6-hour time difference and a 13-hour flight. Still tough, but easier than if I tried to go back to Europe and re-adapt to the time zone there, then adapt again down here.”

Valter Pereira (Banco BIC, part of the early breakaway, 114th +6.57)

"The goal was to put Diogo Nunes in the in the break to go for the intermediate sprints which was partly a success. We don't have the legs for this type of racing where the speed is always high. I think that this is good preparation for the Volta ao Algarve."

Vidal Fitas (sports director Banco BIC whose best rider was Joao Pereira in 41st)

"We did what we had planned and we will continue to fight for the sprints jersey even though we know that it will not be easy. But it is not impossible. There were some difficulties in the finale but the team was as I had expected. The pace of the WorldTour teams is not comparable to hours but we are enjoying it."

Tristan Hoffman (sports director Tinkoff-Saxo whose best rider was Nikolay Trusov in 9th)

“The breakaway was formed from the very start but as BMC were chasing and controlled the stage until the hilly finale with 20 kilometers to go, they were doomed to fail. In the demanding finale, Rory (Sutherland) launched an attack and he created a gap with a small group of riders but they were denied the opportunity. So about 40 riders were to sprint it out and our Nikolay Trusov finished 9th."

Willie Smit (Vini Fantini, part of the early breakaway, leader of the sprints classification, 122nd +10.10)

"I am very happy with this result which is taken in such a prestigious race. The best teams in the world are here and for me it is an honour to wear this jersey. This result is a reward for the great work all my teammates are doing day after day here in Dubai and I want to share my joy with them.

"I want to honour this jersey and I will fight to keep it till the end of the race. This would be the best gift I could dedicate to Stefano Guiliani, my manager, and the sponsors of the team."