UAE Team Emirates heads for season's last Grand Tour

UAE Team Emirates have named 8 riders for the final Grand Tour of the year – La Vuelta España.

The race will depart from Utrecht, in the Netherlands on August 19 before making its way South to the Spanish mainland and ending in Madrid on September 11 over a course distance of 3,280 km.

The team goes into the race with a dynamic squad, with Joao Almeida capable of a strong showing in the GC and Pascal Ackermann leading the line in the sprints.

The race will also see the Grand Tour debut of 19-year-old Spanish talent Juan Ayuso who will be the youngest rider in the race.

Team Manager Matxin Fernandez (Spa) along with Sports Directors Andrej Hauptman (Slo) and Manuele Mori (Ita) will lead the following 8 riders; Pascal Ackermann (Ger), Joao Almeida (Por), Juan Ayuso (Spa), Brandon McNulty (USA), Sebastian Molano (Col), Ivo Oliveira (Por), Jan Polanc (Slo), Marc Soler (Spa).

Almeida commented, "It’s my first Vuelta and I’m really excited to get started. The past few months have not been straightforward and my condition has not been 100%. At Vuelta Burgos it finished on a high-note and it was a good boost for the confidence to take the win on the last day. I felt like a rode myself into that race.

"I’m feeling good again on the bike and with a strong team I think we can do some really nice things at this race. It’s hard to say what to expect but I think the objectives can become clearer as the race goes on. It will be a long road from Utrecht to Madrid but I’m really looking forward to the challenge."

Our #LaVuelta22 🇪🇸 Team. #WeAreUAE 🔥 pic.twitter.com/QJVRMVdDb3

— @UAE-TeamEmirates (@TeamEmiratesUAE) August 13, 2022