UAE Team Emirates prepared for midweek one-day races with lineups confirmed for Le Samyn and Trofeo Laigueglia

Having started their Classics campaign strongly at Opening Weekend, UAE Team Emirates are preparing ahead of their next set of one-day races, with the midweek semi-classics of Le Samyn and Trofeo Laigueglia up next on the calendar, ahead of Strade Bianche this weekend.

They will be taking a young squad for the Belgian race on Tuesday, with three of their six riders all being members of their Continental development team, UAE Team Emirates Gen Z. Youngsters Luca Giami, Jonathan Guatibonza and Gibbe Staes will be racing alongside fellow young rider António Morgado, as well as Michael Vink and sprinter Álvaro Hodeg.

Morgado will likely lead the team after his recent strong showing at the Volta ao Algarve, where he finished tenth overall and won the youth classification, with Hodeg also a potential contender should the race end in a sprint.

As for the Italian race on Wednesday, UAE Team Emirates will be taking an incredibly strong team to Trofeo Laigueglia, with Juan Ayuso leading the line for the team after his victory at the Faun-Ardèche Classic on Saturday. Having finished second at the race in 2022 and he will be looking to go one better this time around after a successful start to the Classics.

Ayuso will be joined by Marc Hirschi, who finished ahead of the Spaniard at the Faun Drôme Classic on Sunday, as the team took a one-two on the podium in France. Alongside them will be Hirschi’s Swiss compatriot Jan Christen and the ever-reliable domestique Rafał Majka, with Italian riders Filippo Baroncini, Diego Ulissi and Alessandro Covi forming the rest of the lineup.

Covi has actually been rather competitive at this race over the past couple of years, as he has finished in third place in both of the last two editions, making him a potential outsider for another podium finish.

Hirschi, Baroncini and Christen will also be racing at Strade Bianche this weekend, as Tadej Pogačar makes his return to the peloton for his first race of the 2024 season. With Tirreno-Adriatico also on the horizon, Trofeo Laigueglia will be an important tune-up race for many riders as they look to hone their form as the season really begins to get underway.