Mark Cavendish wins stage two of UAE Tour

Mark Cavendish took victory on stage two of the UAE Tour as he moved to third in the overall standings.

The Briton produced a trademark sprint finish to win the 176km stage, with Belgium's race leader Jasper Philipsen finishing second in the same time.

«I knew we could win here,» said the 36-year-old Cavendish.

"[The team's] job was to get me to the final feeling as fresh as possible and they did it so well that I was able to launch with 300 to 350m to go."

The win was the 158th of Cavendish's professional career.

He added: «I'm happy I could hold off Philipsen.»

Philipsen leads second-placed Dmitrii Strakhov by four seconds in the overall standings, with Cavendish six seconds off the front.

Stage three on Tuesday will be an individual time trial.