(MENAFN- Khaleej Times) UAE Team Emirates' are targeting glory on home soil with the Dubai Tour (February 6-10) the first stop in a series of races across the GCC that includes The Tour of Oman (February 13-18) and concludes at the end of this month with the Abu Dhabi Tour (February 21-25).
The line-up for the Dubai Tour - the first race in the UAE for the Emirati team this season - will feature two of the team's newest members in former U-23 World Road Race champion Sven Erik Bystrm and reigning European Road Race champion Alexander Kristoff who will make his UAE Team Emirates debut. The Norwegian duo will be joined by the UAE's very own, Yousif Mirza, Moroccan, Anass Ait El Abdia and Italian trio, Matteo Bono, Simone Consonni and Filippo Ganna, the latter of which recently claimed UAE Team Emirates' first podium position of the season, with a third-place finish at the Vuelta a San Juan. The riders will be led by Sports Directors Marco Marzano and Joxean Fernandez Matxin.
The Dubai Tour marks the second race of the season for Emirati rider Yousif Mirza, who competed alongside Filippo Ganna at the Vuelta a San Juan. The Dubai Tour will see 16 professional cycling teams compete across five stages, all starting from the iconic SkyDive Dubai. Stage One will see riders tackle a 167km course that passes through Studio City and the Hamdan Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Sports Complex, before making its way west past the site of Expo 2020 and into Jebel Ali. A thrilling sprint finish could be on the cards as riders cycle onto the Palm Jumeriah and cross the finish line at one of Dubai's most famous hotels, Atlantis, The Palm. Stage Two's 190km route takes riders across four of the UAE's emirates; Dubai, Ajman, Umm al-Quwain and Ras Al Khaimah, while Stage Three will test riders' reserve as they make their way through the desert to the emirate of Fujairah. Climb specialists will be in their element during Stage Four, as the peloton tackles the 172kn route to the Hajar Mountains, finishing at the picturesque Hatta Dam on the border of Oman. The final stage of the tour takes riders to Meydan Racecourse and east, past Dubai International Airport before they take in some of Dubai's stunning coastline on Jumeirah Road to finish on City Walk, overlooking the world's tallest building, the Burj Khalifa.
Commenting on making his race debut in the UAE, Alexander Kristoff said: "I can't wait to start my season with the new team. This will be my first-time racing in the Dubai Tour and I really like the idea, because when I went to the UAE for holidays, I discovered what a wonderful place it is. It's going to be a very competitive race and there will be a lot of top notch sprinters. It will be a fantastic result if we manage to win a stage as it's always nice to start off a season on a positive note."
As the UAE's first ever professional cycling team, UAE Team Emirates are looking to inspire the next generation of Emiratis to get on two-wheels and raise awareness as to the health benefits of cycling and the importance of leading a more active lifestyle. The team's participation at the Dubai Tour and Abu Dhabi Tour gives the community the opportunity to come together and support world-class athletes as they aim to become one of the top cycling teams on the tour.
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