Sprint star Dylan Groenewegen will lead a powerful Team Jayco AlUla squad heading to the UAE Tour for the third round of the UCI World Tour.
The Dutchman was forced to withdraw from the recent AlUla Tour with illness but is now fit and raring to go as he looks to build on his opening day victory at the Gran Premi València and repeat his success of 12 months ago when he took a stage win into Umm al Quwain.
The team will also have options when the race leaves the flat desert roads and heads uphill on stages three and seven, with Irishman Eddie Dunbar and Colombian climber Jesús David Peña both lining up for the seven-day race.
Jan Maas will be tasked with marshalling the peloton while Groenewegen’s trusty leadout men Luka Mezgec and Elmar Reinders will once again be called upon for the fast finishes, with Kelland O’Brien also coming in to bolster the sprint train.
Team Jayco AlUla:
Eddie Dunbar
Dylan Groenewegen
Jan Maas
Luka Mezgec
Kelland O’Brien
Jesús David Peña
Elmar Reinders
Dylan Groenewegen:
“We had a nice start to the season with the win in Valencia, then I had to leave the AlUla Tour early because I got sick, but now I am fully recovered and I’m looking forward to getting back to racing again at the UAE Tour.
The level of sprinters in UAE will be high, but we know how to win here as a team, we showed we can do it last year and I am confident we can do it again this year.
I will have Elmar and Luka with me again and we will also add Kell to the leadout, so we have a strong team around me for the sprints, and we are ready.”
David McPartland (Sport Director):
“We come to the UAE Tour with the goal to win a stage with Dylan, he’s won here before and he’s in good condition with a good team around him to help get that job done.
Then for the GC we also have Eddie and David, but we know we will have to be attentive and on the front foot, we can see there’s already some wind forecast for the first couple of stages, so that will be the first challenge to get through.
They will also need to do a good time trial before the first mountain stage, which suits both of them, then we will reassess from there, but the goal is to give those guys opportunities.“
2024 UAE Tour – Race Details:
Mon 19th – Sun 25th Feb
Photo: Sprint Cycling
