ABU DHABI, 18 August 2022 (WAM) — The eyes of the world turn to UAE Team Emirates as they focus on a glorious year as one of the highlight events on the racing calendar.
The race itself begins with a 23.3km time trial in Utrecht before heading to Spain. The 21 stage route is mostly made up of 7 mountain stages, 6 flat stages and 4 hill stages. In addition to this, teams will face two flat stages with a high altitude finale, a team time trial and an individual time trial.
First, riders first face a handful of high-speed flat stages that the sprinters try to mark. Pascal his Ackermann has just had a strong performance at Pologne after winning Stage 4 of the Tourdeña where he will lead UAE team his Emirates in the flat.
As the race transitions into the mountains midway through the first week, the climbers are in their element, trying to steal the early marches of their rivals in the general classification. UAE Team Emirates will be led by Portuguese talent João Almeida, who has had a successful 2022 so far.
Almeida will appear in the Vuelta a España after a glorious win on the Queens stage of the Vuelta Burgos. There he overtook his rivals in the embers of the race and finished with his trademark kick to the line to seal an impressive stage victory. After finishing second overall in the general classification, Almeida and his UAE team his Emirates will pick up where he left off to take the top spot on the podium in Madrid on Sunday 11 September. I hope we can take advantage of his good form.
Ahead of the race, Almeida reportedly said: On the final day I felt like I was in a race. I feel good again on the bike and with a strong team I think we can do really great things in this race.It’s hard to know what to expect but I think the goals will become clearer as the race progresses. It’s a long way from Utrecht to Madrid, but I’m really looking forward to the challenge. ”
The race will also see Juan Ayuso compete in the first Grand Tour event of his career with UAE Team Emirates. As the race’s youngest rider, Ayuso hopes to be able to make an impact on the world’s cycling stages in his home country. The 19-year-old Spanish starlet enters the race with a very impressive first professional win at Circuit De Gexto. Following this win, it was announced that Ayuso has committed his future to UAE team his Emirates by signing a long-term contract extension to 2028.
