Dubai, UAE, March 06, 2018:  UAE Team Emirates will head to their second Italian race of the season, Tirreno-Adricatico, with two riders vying for the overall General Classification (GC). 

 

The side will be led by Italian duo Fabio Aru and Diego Ulissi, the latter finishing in the top 10 of the recent Abu Dhabi Tour. Joining the riders will be team-mates; Jan Polanc, Filippo Ganna, Marco Marcato, Valerio Conti and Simone Consonni, with Sports Directors Mario Scirea, Marco Marzano and Paolo Tiralongo guiding the team through the seven stages. 

 

Commenting on their goals for the race, Sports Director, Mario Scirea said; 'We are going to Tirreno-Adriatico with an aim of winning the general classification. We can aim for the overall standings with both Fabio Aru and Diego Ulissi, both of whom have showed they are going strong at the start of this season. It will be key to perform well in the team time trial during stage one, especially against the teams that are aiming for an overall victory. Filippo Ganna and Simone Consonni should both be able to help achieve a strong result – they just arrived back from the Track Cycling World Championships – whilst we can also rely on Marco Marcato and Diego Ulissi, who rode well at the time trial during the Abu Dhabi Tour.'

 

Commenting on his second appearance for UAE Team Emirates, Fabio Aru said; 'Tirreno-Adriatico is one of my goals this season. I’ve only competed in the Abu Dhabi Tour so far, but the test in the UAE helped me  understand what aspects of my riding I needed to work on leading up to this race. This will be a big race for us, where the time trial is extremely important. We are going in to the race motivated and the team is setup to race well.'

 

Tirreno-Adriatico will be the perfect warm up for the upcoming monument, Milan-San Remo and the other Spring Classics. Riders will face a Team Time Trial on one, before taking to stage two, where sprinters have the chance to test their form on the 172km route, ending with three laps of an 8km circuit. Stage three will see a different type of test, with the central Italian hills playing a fundamental role in the 239km route from Follonica to Trevi. On paper, stage four is the hardest of the race – a 219km route with a 13km ascent finish. The stage also includes three other categorised climbs and 10 steep hills and will be a serious test of any riders who favour the flatter courses. Stage six will provide riders with some respite, but the stage could throw up some surprises with two tight turns in the final 2km making good positioning vital. Tirreno-Adriatico ends, as is tradition, with a 10km Individual Time Trial. Whilst for some the race could be over, for others, this could be the perfect opportunity to grab those vital seconds and the different between a podium place and a jersey win. 

 

UAE Team Emirates’ participation on the UCI World Tour gives the local 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.