UAE Team Emirates’ announce squad for UAE Tour

UAE Team Emirates have named their 7 riders for the first big goal of the year: the UAE Tour. The Emirati team go into the race eager for strong results after a good showing in 2020 where Tadej Pogačar won a dramatic stage 5 before going onto to win the Tour de France later that year.

This years race will run from 21-27 February and will feature seven days racing including four flat stages, two mountain stages and an individual time trial.

The team goes into the race with a dynamic squad who will focus on stage victories, while also eyeing up the overall title with Tadej Pogačar, and with Fernando Gaviria to lead the line in the sprints.

Team Manager Joxean Matxin Fernandez (Spa) along with Sports Directors Andrej Hauptman (Slo) and Marco Marzano (Ita) will lead the following riders :

Tadej Pogačar (Slo)
Davide Formolo (Ita)
Jan Polanc (Slo)
Mikkel Bjerg (Den)
Rafal Majka (Pol)
Fernando Gaviria (Col)
Maximiliano Richeze (Arg)

Joxean Matxin Fernandez (Manager) : “Our aim will be to pick up where we left the race last year : with a victory. Whether it’s the GC or a stage or both, we are searching for that first win of 2021 and to achieve it on home soil would be fantastic.

We’re on home territory and we know that all eyes will be on us but it’s something we’ll use as further motivation. Pogačar will be our leader but the reality is it’s a squad that can adapt to any situation and we will have different cards to play, especially on the climbs.

Gaviria has a good track record here also and will be our main man for the sprint finishes.”

Tadej Pogačar: “It’s my first race of the season so I’m excited to get started and get back competing again. My preparation has gone really well. We’ve been on Mount Teide training at altitude over the past few weeks with a good group and done a quality block of training with a great atmosphere.

I was thrilled to get the stage win here last year. Obviously it will be a bit of a different atmosphere this year but we are all really motivated to race and give our all in the UAE colours.

Between holidays and training camps I have spent a lot of time in the UAE lately and I can say that the UAE Tour is a race I would really love to win someday. If it can be this year then that would be great.”