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WorldTour racing resumes for the boys’s peloton on the UAE Tour from February 19-25, providing an opportunity for the very best sprinters to get their lead-out trains flowing and offering a take a look at the early climbing type of GC hopefuls on Jebel Hafeet.
Organiser RCS Sport yesterday introduced the checklist of groups driving the ultimate Center Japanese race of the season, with 16 WorldTour sides and 4 ProTeams taking the beginning in Abu Dhabi.
Solely Arkéa-B&B Lodges and Groupama-FDJ are opting out from the highest division with highest-ranked second division groups Israel-Premier Tech and Lotto-Dstny routinely invited whereas Corratec Vini Fantini and Tudor Professional Biking secured the wildcards.
This 12 months’s route is slightly different with the opening stage that includes a brand new ending location in Liwa Palace and an undulating route across the Moreeb Dune cycle path which might rule out most of the quick males. Stage 2 resumes regular service with a person time trial earlier than the peloton takes on Jebel Jais on stage 3, a trio of sprints on levels 4-6 earlier than the climax up Jebel Hafeet (10.9km at 6.7%).
The UAE Tour Women starts on Thursday, February 8 with 4 days of racing performed out over an identical parcours, additionally determined by Jebel Hafeet on stage 3.
Cyclingnews can be current at each the UAE Tour Ladies and UAE Tour collating information on the bottom from riders and groups.
However as their residence occasion and solely WorldTour race within the Center East, the Emirati staff will s a really sturdy staff to appropriate lacking out on general victory in 2023 with Yates as chief.in: Luke Plapp (Jayco-sAlUla) and Adam Yates (UAE Group Emirates).
There isn’t any suggestion defending champion Remco Evenepoel (Soudal-QuickStep) will return with a European begin to his calendar scheduled, nor two-time UAE Tour winner Tadej Pogačar (UAE Group Emirates), whose 2024 debut is presently pencilled in for Strade Bianche on March 3.
However as their residence occasion and solely WorldTour race within the Center East, the Emirati staff will ship a really sturdy squad to appropriate lacking out on general victory in 2023 with Yates as chief.
The Brit, a earlier general winner in 2020, won last season’s queen stage atop Jebel Hafeet, whereas additionally breaking the report on the climb, forward of Evenepoel. Nonetheless, he was too far right down to problem for the GC lead after dropping 51 seconds within the crosswinds on the opening stage and an additional 16 seconds within the staff time trial.
Jay Vine is about to begin his season within the UAE alongside Yates and Brandon McNulty, who has started the season in fine form with a stage win and general victory on the Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana. Mikkel Bjerg is down to begin however count on one other rouleur in there to make sure echelons aren’t UAE Group Emirates’ undoing.
Plapp’s nasty crash on the Tour Down Underneath could have him beneath prime kind however different GC challengers anticipated to begin embody Ben O’Connor (Decathlon AG2R La Mondial), winner up Jebel Jais final 12 months Einer Rubio (Movistar), Ilan Van Wilder (Soudal-QuickStep) and Romain Bardet (DSM-Firmenich PostNL).
A complete host of prime sprinters can be current as all the time to struggle out the three flat levels and vindicate the race’s standing as an unofficial ‘sprinters World Championships’, usually attracting a greater dash subject than the Tour de France.
Tim Merlier (Soudal-QuickStep), Mark Cavendish (Astana Qazaqstan), Fabio Jakobsen (DSM-Firmenich PostNL), Dylan Groenewegen (Jayco-AlUla), Olav Kooij (Visma-Lease a Bike), Phil Bauhaus (Bahrain Victorious), Sam Bennett (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale) and Elia Viviani (Ineos Grenadiers) are among the many quick males provisionally down to begin.
Cavendish can be eyeing all three flat finishes in Dubai Harbour, Umm Al Quwain and Abu Dhabi breakwater, with the latter specifically taking his fancy. The identical end location within the 2022 race was the place Cavendish final beat Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck).
Since then the Belgian has change into the very best sprinter on the planet with 4 Tour de France stage wins in 2023 and he would be the greatest barrier to the thirty fifth in summer season. He is not on the provisional begin checklist however neither is anybody from Alpeci-Deceuninck so do not be stunned to see him there.
It ought to present an early take a look at the lead-out prepare battles and Cavendish’s probabilities at taking a historic thirty fifth Tour de France stage win come July, with key leadout riders Michael Mørkøv and Cees Bol added to the provisional checklist in the present day.
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