UAE Team Emirates have a double bill of racing in Germany next week, starting with one-day WorldTour race, the EuroEyes Cyclassics Hamburg (August 25), which is swiftly followed by a four-day race around the country, the Deutchland Tour (August 29-September 1).
Hamburg is one for the sprinters and the seven-man squad will ride in support of Alexander Kristoff, who has not only won the race, but been on the podium a further three times. They will be guided by sports directors Allan Peiper and Neil Stephens.
Joining Kristoff will be his fellow Norwegians Sven Erik Bystrom and Vegard Stake Laengen, as well as Italy’s Roberto Ferrari, Portugal youngster Rui Oliveira, rising Belgian star Jasper Philipsen and Australian veteran Rory Sutherland.
Pieper said: “We will be at the start of the race focusing on Alexander Kristoff. The team has been put together to give him adequate support and to be at the heart of the action during the race and in the final.”
The Deutschland Tour will see the Emirati outfit opt for a mix of climbers and fast men, under the guidance of Simone Pedrazzini and Bruno Vicino. Kristoff is again included, as is Stake Laengen. They will be joined by Italian duo Diego Ulissi and Simone Consonni as well as Ireland’s Dan Martin and Belarus’ Aleksandr Riabushenko.
“With Kristoff we will try to be up in the mix in the sprints on stages three and four,” explained Pedrazzini. “Martin and Ulissi will aim for the general classification, with Consonni, Laengen and Riabushenko working in support.“
