Abu Dhabi: UAE Team Emirates’ European champion Alexander Kristoff will lead the line for the Emirati team as they attempt to secure a title in one of the upcoming Spring Classics.
Supported by a team comprising energetic youth and experienced riders, Kristoff will be hoping for early success on the cobbles as the team tackle the Record Bank E3 Harelbeke on March 23, Gent-Wevelgem in Flanders Fields on March 25 and Dwars door Vlaanderen on March 28.
Also competing in the three races will be Ben Swift, Filippo Ganna, Marco Marcato, Oliviero Troia, Simone Consonni and Sven Erik Bystrom. Riders will be guided by sports directors, Phillippe Mauduit and Mario Scirea.
Commenting on his expectations for the upcoming one-day races, Scirea said: “We are going into Belgium to do well. I expect to see good things from Alexander Kristoff and Ben Swift, who was particularly strong in Milano-San Remo. We will also look for some strong performances from Bystrom and Consonni, both are young riders that have the right characteristics and attributes for these types of races.”
Friday’s Record Bank E3 Harelbeke is the start of a packed fortnight of racing throughout the region, as riders navigate a 206-km looped route through the Flemish Ardennes. The race marks the start of Flemish Cycling Week and is the perfect test for any riders looking for a challenge ahead of the Tour of Flanders. Riders will then have a day’s rest before setting off on the Gent-Wevelgem route. This race, known as a sprinter’s classic due to the flat terrain, has the ability to cause havoc on the peloton. The weather conditions are often blustery and, if rain is forecast, the two cobbled ascents could prove tricky for riders. Wednesday’s Dwars door Vlaanderen will provide a stern examination of riders’ fitness, as the 181-km route features 12 hilly climbs in the final 100 km of the race, some of which are on the cobbles and have an incline in parts of 20 per cent. The race has been won by a Belgian in each of its last three editions.
