Dubai: UAE Team Emirates are set to tackle the first Grand Tour of the 2018 UCI World Tour season, the Giro d’Italia from May 4-27.
The team is led by Italian national champion Fabio Aru, who finished third and second in the Giro d’Italia in 2014 and 2015 respectively, winning the event’s Young Riders Classification in 2015.
Since a winter move from Astana where he achieved the above results, Aru now hopes to lead UAE Team Emirates to their first ever Grand Tour win, with a strong line-up that includes six-time stage winner, Diego Ulissi, Valerio Conti, Marco Marcato and Manuele Mori along with Colombian climber Darwin Atapuma, Slovenian superstar Jan Polanc and Norwegian Vegard Stake Laengen.
UAE Team Emirates manager Giuseppe Saronni said: “Our Italian riders give this roster a strong local flavour which honours the Giro d’Italia and we have the national champion in the tricolour jersey, Fabio Aru.
“Fabio is going into the Giro d’Italia with a huge desire to make an impact. He will be joined by a group of riders who share the same feeling and will be able to support him in every scenario.
“The three non-Italians: Atapuma, Laengen and Polanc have shown their love for this race and their ability to contribute enthusiastically to the team. These riders know about success in this race, with six stage wins by Ulissi, two by Polanc and three by Aru, who has been on the podium twice.”
