UAE Team Emirates XRG head for AlUla Tour as European season also begins

UAE Team Emirates XRG will kick off a series of races in the Middle East as part of their highly anticipated preparation for the UAE Tour next month. Their campaign begins with the AlUla Tour in Saudi Arabia, running from January 28 to February 1, preceded by the Gran Premio Castellon (25 Jan) and the Classica Comunitat Valenciana (26 Jan) in Spain.

For the AlUla Tour, the team will look to the leadership of Rafal Majka, who will captain the squad, while sprinter Sebastian Molano will target the sprint stages, supported by trusted leadout man Ivo Oliveira. The Colombian has had a good winter and will aim to add to his tally of 25 professional victories.

Molano : “I’m excited to be starting 2025 at AlUla, where I’ll be focusing mainly on the sprint stages. It’s been a good winter of training and preparation and the sensations and motivation are positive. There are some tricky stages here but I hope to have a few sprinting opportunities also with the support of a rider of the quality of Ivo who is a leadout expert. We also have Rafal Majka here who will be aiming for the general classification, so it’s a very complete team.”

Meanwhile, a team of young talents will aim to make a strong debut in UAE Team Emirates XRG colors in Spain, with Jan Christen spearheading a youthful contingent with several incorporations from the Gen Z squad.

 
The AlUla Tour team will be guided by Sports Directors Manuele Mori (Italy) and Jan Polanc (Slovenia) while Tomas Gil (Ven) will take the wheel at the Spanish appointments.

AlUla Tour [2.1] – 28-Jan-2025 / 01-Feb-2025

Mikkel Bjerg

Rafal Majka

Sebastian Molano

Ivo Oliveira

Adria Pericas (Gen Z)

Anze Ravbar (Gen Z)

Gibbe Staes (Gen Z)

Gran Premio Castellón – Ruta de la Cerámica [1.1] – 25-Jan-2025 & Clàssica Comunitat Valenciana 1969 – Gran Premi València [1.1] – 26-Jan-2025

Filippo Baroncini (Ita)

Jan Christen (Swi)

Alessandro Covi (Ita)

Antonio Morgado (Por)

Marcos Freire (Spa) (Gen Z)

Enea Sambinello (Ita) (Gen Z)

Matthias Schwarzbacher (Svk) (Gen Z)