Rui Costa and Ulissi will shine as beacons for UAE Team Emirates at the Vuelta al Pais Vasco

Rui Costa and Ulissi will pair up to lead UAE Team Emirates in this short World Tour category stage race in the Basque Country from April 2 to 7.
The 2013 World Champion was forced to withdraw from the Paris-Nice after a crash, he will return to competition after spending time training on the roads of Madeira; the Italian talent will participate in the race as part of his preparation for the Ardennes Classics.

The Emirati formation will be coached by Sports Directors Matxin (Spain) and Pedrazzini (Switzerland). The following 7 riders will line up on the starting grid for the race:
– Anass Ait El Abdia (Morocco)
– Matteo Bono (Italy)
– Rui Costa (Portugal)
– Manuele Mori (Italy)
– Jan Polanc (Slovenia)
– Aleksandr Riabushenko (Belorussia)
– Diego Ulissi (Italy)

Here is Diego Ulissi’s take on the Basque race: “The Vuelta al Pais Vasco is a race that should be taken on with maximum determination every day, because each stage is challenging and could be decisive for the general classification.
The goal is to be ready in each stage and to put in consistently good performances, also keeping in mind that the Basque competition is an important launching pad for the Ardennes Classics and could give me interesting signals as to what shape I’m in.”

Rui Costa explained: “After my crash in the Paris-Nice, in which I sustained a contusion to my knee, I took a week off to rest; however, now I’m fine, since I’ve started training again with good results.                          
I will make it to the Vuelta al Pais Vasco with plenty of room to improve my fitness level; I hope to finish the race on a high note and achieve a good result, because this is a race that appeals to me precisely because of its ruggedness.”