UAE Team Emirates announce squad for Il Lombardia

UAE Team Emirates have announced their line-up for Il Lombardia (WT) which takes place on Saturday (15th August). The 231km classic around the Lombardy region, before finishing by the lake of Como is known as “the race of the falling leaves” due to its usual October calendar slot. However this year will see the riders battle the heat and sun of August in a race which should suit the likes of the in-form Diego Ulissi.

Ulissi : “After a string of podiums I’m obviously hungry for a win. I thought it was coming in Piemonte but unfortunately the finish line came 50 metres too close. I can’t complain – to be back racing again and getting good results is a huge privilege and something the whole team are pleased about.We’ll go into the next races with options – Aru has been building his form lately and Conti has shown also that he’s in top condition in the last few races.”

The 7-man team will be led by team Manager Joxean Matxin Fernandez and Sports Directors Marco Marzano and Bruno Vicino.

Il Lombardia

Fabio Aru (Ita)

Valerio Conti (Ita)

Alessandro Covi (Ita)

Diego Ulissi (Ita)

Brandon McNulty (USA)

Aleksander Riabushenko (Bel)

Edward Ravasi (Ita)

The Emirati team will stay in Italy for the Giro dell’ Emillia (1.Pro) on 18 August where the team will also hope to aim for a strong result. Leading the six riders will be Sports Directors Marco Marzano (Ita) and Paolo Tiralongo (Ita).

Giro dell’ Emilia

Diego Ulissi (Ita)

Valerio Conti (Ita)

Aleksander Riabushenko (Bel)

Joe Dombrowski (USA)

Alessandro Covi (Ita)

Edward Ravasi (Ita)

Meanwhile in France, the Tour Du Limousin (2.1) will run over four stages (18-21 August) where the team will go with opportunities for stage wins and the General Classification.

Sports Directors Neil Stephens and Manuele Mori (Ita) will lead the 7-man selection.

Tour du Limousin

Rui Costa (Por)

Fernando Gaviria (Col)

Max Richeze (Arg)

Brandon McNulty (USA)

Marco Marcato (Ita)

Rui Oliveira (Por)

Jasper Philipsen (Bel)