Israel – Premier Tech Roland will line up at the inaugural UAE Tour this Thursday with multiple objectives for the second WorldTour stage race of the season.
Sports Director Sergey Klimov says the team will take things day by day in UAE, where the four-stage race offers three sprint finishes and the Jebel Hafeet summit finish.
“It’s the first edition of UAE Tour and we are excited to be here with a strong team. Tamara Dronova crashed in Valencia on Sunday so we will see how she is feeling by Thursday but already, she showed good form in her first two races this year, and she can be up there in both the sprints and on the climb if she is feeling good. We have some good opportunities for Sofia Collinelli and Thị Thật Nguyễn as well, and Claire Steels can also do well on third stage with the Jebel Hafeet climb which will be a tough test.” says Klimov.
After impressing in her IPT debut in Australia, Claire Steels is looking forward to testing her form on new terrain.
“I’m really excited to race here in UAE. Australia was a good opportunity to see where my fitness is and I’m happy with how I felt. I think we have good options and I’m looking forward to seeing what we can do here as a team,” adds Steels.
Tamara Dronova, who was sixth in her 2023 debut in Women Cycling Pro Costa De Almería, is hoping her crash on Sunday won’t affect her too much when racing gets underway.
“It’s difficult to say how I will go here after my crash but in general my goals are to be up there in the top-ten in the stages and aim for a good General Classification result as well. Of course, everything will depend on how I feel on the road and how the race goes as the field is very strong,” explains Dronova.
UAE Tour (9-12 February)
Roster: Caroline Baur, Sofia Collinelli, Tamara Dronova, Thị Thật Nguyễn, Claire Steels, Lara Vieceli
Sports Director: Sergey Klimov
