Dubai, UAE, July 25, 2018:  UAE Team Emirates’ Fabio Aru will kick of the second part of his season this week, as the Italian looks to get back on track with an solid performance at the Tour of Wallonie (28 July – 1 August). Aru last appeared in the team’s jersey at the Giro d’Italia in May, but is determined to come back stronger, compete to the best of his ability with the General Classification (GC) contenders and take home his first win in UAE colours. 

 

Joining Aru will be an experienced team of riders, plus a handful of young guns. They include: Matteo Bono, Manuele Mori Anass Ait El Abdia, Aleksandr Riabushenko, Simone Petilli and Przemyslaw Niemiec. The group will be guided by coaches Bruno Vicino and Paolo Tiralongo. 

 

Commenting on his return, Fabio Aru said: “I’m happy that I can wear a race number on my back again; I really want to get back in to the group. The team and I have decided to add the Tour de Wallonie to my schedule and I will be riding on routes similar to the ones in the Ardennes Classics. Each day will feature sprints, hills and short yet intense climbs. I am sure that I will do a good job, which will be useful as I look to take on the second part of the season.”

 

The opening stage of the UCI European Tour race is almost completely flat and will undoubtedly end in a sprint finish. The real test for the riders will be their ability to manage any early breakaways on the short but punchy climbs across the following three stages – in particular Stage two which features no less than eight categorised climbs. The final stage will see the peloton battle it out on a 187.5km route with four categorised climbs – the first of which comes at just 16km into the race and could be pivotal in the outcome of the stage and the eventual GC winner.