Aru to lead UAE Team Emirates for the Vuelta
Italian rider Fabio Aru says he has “great motivation” to succeed at the Vuelta a Espana after being named leader of UAE Team Emirates for the upcoming race.
Starting on Saturday and concluding on September 16, the 2018 Vuelta will comprise 22 teams racing for 3,271.4 kilometres across 21 stages.
Led by 2015 Vuelta champion Aru, UAE Team Emirates will be aiming to build on their impressive showing at the Tour de France and have named a strong eight-man team for the third and final Grand Tour of the UCI World Tour schedule.
Joining Aru will be Irishman Dan Martin, weeks after his successful Tour de France campaign. Martin, 32, was named the Tour’s most combative rider, claimed one stage victory and finished eighth in the general classification standings.
Italian quartet Valerio Conti, Simone Consonni, Edward Ravasi and Simone Petlli, and Norwegian pair Sven Erik Bystrom and Vegard Stake Laengen – who was recently crowned National Road Race Champion – complete the line-up.
“I really like the Vuelta for many reasons: the route, the climbs and especially the fans who have always shown great affection towards me,” said Aru, who will be one of four former Vuelta champions competing in this year’s race.
“I approach it with great enthusiasm and a desire to do well. Also to repay the affection and support shown to me by the team, the sponsors and the fans since the Giro d’Italia.
“I arrive from the first part of the season in which I did not get the results I was looking for, but from the defeats you can learn important lessons and all this gives me great motivation.”
The 2018 Vuelta will consist of two individual time trials – including Saturday’s opening stage – six mountain stages, six hilly stages, four flat stages, and three intermediate stages.
“It will be a tactically open Vuelta, the nine summit finishes will lend themselves to attacks,” Aru, 28, added. “And I must beware of short stages, they will have a big impact on the general classification.
“The competition is spread wide and level; [Miguel Angel] Lopez, the Yates brothers [Simon and Adam], [Rigoberto] Uran and the captains of Movistar [Nairo Quintana and Alejandro Valverde] … without forgetting that [2010 champion Vincenzo] Nibali is also making his race return.”