Rui Costa: "I feel good and I know Jabal Al Akhdhar will be the place to make differences for the overall classification"

As one of the teams from the Middle East, UAE Team Emirates naturally show a lot of interest with the local races and tomorrow they begin the Tour of Oman with a lineup capable of taking immense success.

"I'm here to lead the team, I feel good and I know Jabal Al Akhdhar will be the place to make differences for the overall classification," said Rui Costa who will be the leader of the team when the mountains come.

Costa has an history of performing strong in the region, having the UAE Tour (at the time called Abu Dhabi Tour) under his belt, he is a frequent presence in these races and very often he finishes near the top. Last week he rode the Saudi Tour where he finished third, and the last time Oman was raced he finished 4th. The team will also be backing up Fernando Gaviria in the sprints where he will have Max Richeze and Ryan Gibbons for great support.

UAE Team Emirates for Tour of Oman: Rui Costa, Fernando Gaviria, Max Richeze, Ryan Gibbons, Felix Groß, Yousif Mirza and Oliviero Troia.