Costa-Ulissi to lead UAE team’s charge
dubai — Rui Costa and Diego Ulissi will lead UAE Team Emirates in the upcoming Vuelta al Pais Vasco, to be held from April 2 to 7, as the team step up their preparations ahead of the upcoming Ardennes Classics.
Costa, the 2013 World Champion, was forced to withdraw from Paris-Nice after a crash, but will return to competition after spending time training on the roads of Madeira, while Ulissi will be hoping to test his fitness as he prepares for a strong performance in the Ardennes classics. The riders will be joined by teammates including Jan Polanc, Matteo Bono, Anass Ait El Abdia, Manuele Mori and Alexandr Riabushenko.
Commenting on the upcoming six-stage race, Diego Ulissi said: “Each stage is challenging and could be decisive for the general classification, so it is important to give maximum effort each day. The goal is to put in good, consistent performances, keeping in mind that the Basque competition is an important launch pad for the Ardennes Classics and could give me a good indication as to what shape I’m in ahead of those races.”
Rui Costa added: “After my crash in the Paris-Nice, I took a week off to rest. I’m fine now and I’ve started training again with positive results. I will make it to the Vuelta al Pais Vasco with plenty of room to improve my fitness level and I hope to finish the race on a high note and achieve a good results.”
The Vuelta al Pais Vasco, translating to The Tour of the Basque Country, will see riders tackle rugged hilly terrain that favours the climbers. The first stage features a number of different laps around Zarautz, taking in five climbs on the 162km route.