Dubai: Alexander Kristoff was relieved to get UAE Team Emirates’ first stage win of the season in Oman on Sunday and hopes it will spur them on going into this week’s Abu Dhabi Tour title defence from Wednesday to Sunday.
The 30-year-old Norwegian, who is the current European Champion, won the final stage in Oman, adding to his two previous wins on that stage in 2016 and 2017.
It is not the side’s first success of the season as Emirati cyclist Yousuf Mirza was crowned Asian champion in the individual road race in Myanmar last week, but it is the first tour stage success as a team for 2018.
“It was good to win and get an early victory,” Kristoff told Gulf News during UAE Team Emirates’ visit to the Emirates Headquarters in Dubai on Monday.
“It’s always good for morale and now we can breathe out because it’s not the same tension as going all the way through until March and getting a lot of pressure like some teams do before they get their first win of the season.
“Now we’ve got our first win and for sure, we will try to get more.”
UAE Team Emirates’ Rui Costa finished 10th in Oman’s General Classification, and now they head to Abu Dhabi this week, where Costa was victorious last year. “For sure the team goal here is to win overall and if we win a stage it will be a bonus because we don’t really have a sprint team, we have a strong team for climbs but there’s only one climb stage and that’s on the last day.
“So, we don’t have a squad for sprint, we’re more 50-50 and are going in with a divided squad, but we have all the best climbers here except Dan Martin, and we also have Fabio Aru, and Costa who won here last year.
“So our goal is to win again and if we can take a stage on the way it will be very nice.”
During the UAE Team Emirates’ visit to the Emirates Headquarters on Tuesday it was explained why the side, which used to be called Lampre-Merida, was rebranded under the airlines’ sponsorship on a four-year deal last February.
Adil Al Ghaith, Emirates senior vice president of commercial operations for the Gulf, Middle East and Iran, said: “We usually look at three objectives when we go for a sponsorship, they are; making awareness, getting closer to our fans and bringing more business to the UAE, but this one is a little unique. Cycling has grown, especially in the UAE, and this was a good opportunity for the UAE national team to benefit. We already have one Emirati in the team (Yousuf Mirza) and in the future we hope to see more UAE nationals in this great team.”
UAE Team Emirates general manager Mauro Gianetti added: “The project is not only to win races but to also create a legacy in the UAE. That is why we are already visiting schools and teaching kids to start cycling and do sport — so they understand the importance of nutrition and leading an active and healthy lifestyle. We are proud to have Emirates as a sponsor and wish in the future to see more and more children from the UAE being inspired to start cycling, and join our team to become professional cyclists in the future.”
