UAE Team Emirates departs for the early Belgian classics

The UAE Team Emirates will make its 2018 debut on the Belgian roads in the one-day races Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, February 24, and Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne, February 25. Italian Sports Director Mario Scirea will guide the team of seven men, a good mix of youth and cobbled experience.

– Matteo Bono (Italy)
– Simone Consonni (Italy)
– Filippo Ganna (Italy)
– Marco Marcato (Italy)
– Aleksandr Riabushenko (Belarusian)
– Ben Swift (Great Britain)
– Oliviero Troia (Italy)

Ganna explained, “In 2017, my first year in the professional ranks, with the worlds on the track, I only had a small taste of the Belgian races, participating in Gent-Wevelgem and the Binck Bank Tour. Regardless, they allowed me to breathe in the air of these particular and anticipated events loved by so many cyclists and fans.
This year, I will have a chance to participate in more of these types of races, already in Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and in Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne I will try to get my bearings and understand the dynamics of the race, all with the mindset of learning. I can count on expert team-mates like Marcato, Bono and Swift“.

“I’m going to arrive in Belgium with good legs and the knowledge that I’ve reached good form from the first races of 2018 in Australia and Dubai,” Consonni said. “In the last race in Dubai, I worked to support Kristoff, and I really learnt a lot.
“I’m going back north after gaining so much experience in 2017. In Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne, I’m ready to play my cards given the race is adapted to my characteristics”.