UAE Team Emirates has made its presence official at the Vuelta a Andalucía, scheduled to take place from February 14th to 18th, starting in Almuñecar.
Pogacar will not defend title
Even without Slovenian champion Tadej Pogacar defending his title, the team will rely on the talent of Spaniard Juan Ayuso as leader to face the challenges of this competition, which will cover five provinces over a total route of 850 kilometers, according to newspapers Mundo Deportivo and Sports Stadium.
Pogacar’s absence will not negatively impact the quality of the team, as Ayuso, who took third and fourth place in the last two editions of the Vuelta a España, will be the leader.
The Catalan cyclist, winner of stages of the Tour de Romandie and Tour de Suisse in 2023, will have the support of Tim Wellens, winner of the Ruta del Sol in 2018, the Polish Rafał Majka, with victories in two stages of the Vuelta a España, and the Italian Alessandro Covi, winner of the second stage of the Andalusian race in 2022.
Portuguese in the competition
The Movistar Team has already confirmed the presence of Ruben Guerreiro and Nelson Oliveira at the start of the competition on February 14th.
