Slovakian will lead Cannondale team, King, Ratto, Caruso and Marcato also part of lineup
While he missed out on a stage win in the recent Tour de San Luis, racking a runner-up slot on stage seven, Peter Sagan has suggested that he will be at a higher level in the upcoming Dubai Tour.
“The Tour de San Luis was a positive starting point. Each day I felt more and more comfortable, and that’s the most important result in the beginning of the season,” the Slovakian rider said as the team lineup for the race was confirmed
“The Dubai Tour will be exciting and the high level of the competition will be a big push to improve my performance. I have strong teammates around me; that’s all I need to do well.”
The race runs from February 5th to 8th and Sagan will be joined there by seven others. These are Damiano Caruso, Marco Marcato, Ted King, Daniele Ratto, Maciej Bodnar, Juraj Sagan and Fabio Sabatini.
The latter is making his competitive return following a bad crash in the USA Pro Cycling Challenge last year.
Providing he is in form, the route could present him with a strong chance of success. The opening Down Town stage is a ten kilometre time trial, a discipline which he has done well in on past occasions.
Day two runs 122 kilometres, passes some of the best-known sports buildings in Dubai such as the Hippodrome, the Olympic pool, the Al Qudra cycling path, the Autodrome and the Golf Club, and will be called the Sport Stage.
The following day is titles the Nature Stage and is the longest at 162 kilometres. It passes through the desert and finishes in Hatta. The Old Dubai Stage concludes the action on February 8th, again beginning at the Dubai World Trade Centre and passing through the old part of the city.
Along the 124 kilometre race to the finish, the riders will pass the famous Burj Al Arab building and the Burj Khalifa, which is the tallest skyscraper in the World at 830 metres high.
Cannondale directeur sportif Dario Mariuzzo said that team management has high expectations. “Dubai Tour is an important race, and we expect the entire team to perform well,” he said.
“Sagan will be our frontrunner. He will have a number of opportunities to garner top results, but first and foremost, I want to see a united and motivated team.”