UAE Team Emirates set for the inaugural Saudi Tour

UAE Team Emirates have confirmed their team for the Saudi Tour (2.1) with young debutants and veterans in equal mix in the squad. Leadership will rest in the hands of Rui Costa with Valerio Conti also set to be dangerous when the road peaks upwards. Meanwhile Alessandro Covi will make his debut in UAE colours.

The new stage race will comprise of 755km of racing over five stages running from Feb.4 to Feb.8. The startlist will feature 18 teams from 13 countries and will mainly be focused around the capital city of Riyadh. The open and rolling roads are set to favour the punchers and classics riders with the possibility of crosswinds on several stages.

Sports Directors Marco Marzano (Ita) and Andrej Hauptmann (Slo) will lead the following 6 riders in Saudi Arabia:

Valerio Conti (Ita)

Alessandro Covi (Ita)

Rui Costa (Por)

Marco Marcato (Ita)

Yousif Mirza (UAE)

Ivo Oliveira (Por)

Rui Costa : “We expect a top quality field there in Saudi Arabia. It’s the first edition of the race and shows the big expansion of cycling in the middle east. I’ve been training at altitude for the past two weeks in Sierra Nevada, Spain and my condition is quite good. I’m very excited to start my season.”