UAE Team Emirates continues their busy racing calendar in Italy with Tirreno-Adriatico, known as the ‘Race of Two Seas’ (March 10-16). The iconic 7-day stage race returns for its 56th edition with a 1,100km route that sets off from Lido di Camaiore on the Tyrrhenian coast before crossing the Italian peninsula eastward and arriving in San Benedetto del Tronto on the Adriatic side of the country.
With two realistic chances for the sprinters, three stages that suit the puncheurs, one summit finish and an individual time trial to finish off the race, there are plenty of stage win opportunities for the team.
The Emirati formation will be led by Tadej Pogacar who is looking to show his strength in the mountains and deliver another successful result on GC, while Fernando Gaviria will hope to be the main protagonist in the sprints.
Team Manager Matxin Fernandez, along with Sports Directors Andrej Hauptman and Manuele Mori, will lead the 7-man squad:
Pogacar said: “It’s my first time heading to Tirreno-Adriatico and I’m pretty excited about it. The race seems to have a bit of everything: climbing, flat and the final TT so we will be fighting for every stage. I’ll aim to give the GC a good go and then we’ll also target sprint victories. Hopefully we can continue the good work we did at the UAE Tour.”
Pogacar has committed his future to UAE Team Emirates by signing a new deal to 2026, the UAE Team Emirates announced on March 2, 2021.
The 22-year-old is one of cycling’s brightest prospects and the announcement came days after he claimed the honours at the season-opening UAE Tour as the reigning Tour de France champion won season-opener in Abu Dhabi recently. The UAE Tour was the first big goal of the season for the team.
Less than a week after triumphing at the UAE Tour, Pogacar was back racing again on the gravel roads of Strade Bianche, with the 22 year old coming home in 7th place in the historic finish in Siena, Italy.
After being present throughout the 186km through Tuscan countryside the Emirati squad placed Pogacar perfectly to ensure he made the winning move which composed of all of the pre-race favourites.
Bad luck struck for Aleksandr Riabushenko with 50km to go when he suffered a facial injury after a crash. He received stitches to his lip though fortunately did not suffer any further serious injury.
Race winner Mathieu Van Der Poel (Alpecin- Fenix) emerged strongest on the day, while Pogacar underscored his form heading into Tirreno-Adriatico.
SQUAD: Davide Formolo (Ita), Fernando Gaviria (Col), Rafal Majka (Pol), Ivo Oliveira (Por), Tadej Pogačar (Slo),Jan Polanc (Slo), Max Richeze (Arg)
