UAE Team Emirates will be among the teams lining up for the inaugural the Adriatica Ionica Race, a new international race, which gets underway in Italy on Wednesday.
The five-day race has been given 2.1 status by the UCI, features some of the peloton’s best, including Mark Cavendish (Dimension Data) and Elia Viviani (Quick-Step Floors).
One of the men the UAE outfit will be looking to for inspiration and a shot at the yellow jersey is Valerio Conti.
The 26-year-old, who finished fourth in the youth classification at the Giro d’Italia and sixth at the Criterium du Dauphine, will be supported by Darwin Atapuma, Edward Ravisi and Simone Petilli.
Meanwhile, Ben Swift and Simone Consonni, who won the opening stage of the Tour de Slovenie, also gives the team options in the sprint.
Manuele Mori completes the seven-man line-up.
Commenting ahead of the race, Conti said: “I am very motivated; I really want to try to achieve some good results for the team.
“After strenuous efforts in the Giro d’Italia and the Criterium du Dauphine, I’m trying to prepare a balanced approach to the Adriatica Ionica Race, recuperating energy but at the same time maintaining the good form I enjoyed on the roads of Italy and France.
“I’ll see how my legs respond after the first stages and then I’ll consult with the team to consider whether or not there are circumstances in place to vie for the top spots in the general classification, or if it will be better to concentrate on individual stages.”
Wednesday’s stage will be a 23km team time trial from Musile di Piave to Lido di Jesolo.
