Dubai: UAE Team Emirates team has announced the core riders who will make up the squad for the upcoming three Grand Tours: Tour de France, Giro d’Italia and Vuelta Espana.
The teams announcement came shortly after the UCI revealed its own plans for the resumption of the 2020 racing season since its hiatus after the UAE Tour in March due to the global Coronavirus pandemic.
Each line-up has mixed goals with a good balance of climbers, sprinters and versatile stage-hunters. The full squad listings are yet to be confirmed, but should become clear in the coming weeks.
Mauro Gianetti, UAE Team Emirates Team Principal said in a statement: “We are cautious but also optimistic. The solidarity within the team has been a great asset throughout this period and we aim to carry that forward as we move back to racing. A huge amount of work has been done by the team behind the scenes along with the help of our sponsors to ensure a viable safety protocol for when the racing returns.
‘‘The prospect of racing again soon is an exciting one for the team, the sponsors and also for the fans. The riders themselves are more motivated than ever with this new calendar.”
Core riders: Tour de France: Fabio Aru (Ita), Tadej Pogacar (Slo), Davide Formolo (Ita), David De la Cruz (Esp), Alexander Kristoff (Nor).
Giro d’Italia: Fernando Gaviria (Col), Maximiliano Richeze (Arg), Sebastian Molano (Col), Brandon McNulty (USA), Joe Dombrowski (USA), Valerio Conti (Ita), Diego Ulissi (Ita).
Vuelta España : David De la Cruz (Esp), Davide Formolo (Ita), Fabio Aru (Ita), Jasper Philipsen (Bel), Rui Costa (Por).
