UAE looking to prevent Diego Ulissi from riding World Championships

With the hilly route in Wollongong set to make for a big trip and disruption in the calendar of the riders that will take part, several World Tour teams have looked to keep their riders in the team and not in the Worlds in order to score UCI points. However UAE Team Emirates will be making the same decision, as Diego Ulissi is set to miss out on the race because of team orders.

In an interview with Gazzetta dello Sport, team manager Mauro Gianetti said that “his selection was not yet confirmed. That is why we have asked national coach Daniele Bennati not to take him with us if there is still any doubt. We have already lost many riders for three weeks during that period due to the World Cup. Ultimately, Ulissi will ride in our service".

The news come as a surprise as Ulissi is one of the country's top puncheurs and would on paper be one of the team leaders in Wollongong. Having shown good form at the start of the year and once again recently at the Tour du Limousin - where he won a stage and finished second in the overall classification - he would be an outsider for the race. The UAE Team however will prefer having the veteran on their ranks throughout the Italian Autumn classics period with full focus, making it unlikely that he'll make the trip to Australia.

It's unknown who will be representing Italy at the World championships in the space of just three weeks, however the nation has some good cards in the likes of Alberto Bettiol and Matteo Trentin - although it will be a tough ask to fight for a medal in this route.