João Almeida and Brandon McNulty feature in the UAE Team Emirates squad for the Vuelta a España, where teenager Juan Ayuso also lines up for his Grand Tour debut.
The team also includes Ivo Oliveira, Marc Soler and Jan Polanc, as well as sprinter Pascal Ackermann and his lead-out man Sebastian Molano.
As already announced, Tadej Pogacar will not ride this year’s Vuelta. The Slovenian opted against lining out after placing second at the Tour de France and he will instead focus on one-day races in the final weeks of the season.
Almeida will lead the UAE Team Emirates challenge in Spain, and he warmed up for the race with a strong display at the Vuelta a Burgos, where he won the final stage to Lagunas de Neila en route to second place overall.
“It’s my first Vuelta and I’m really excited to get started,” Almeida said in a statement released by his team. “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.”
Almeida was in the hunt for a podium place at May’s Giro d’Italia until his race was cut short by a COVID-19 diagnosis with four days remaining. The Portuguese champion’s best Grand Tour finish was his 4th place on the 2020 Giro.
“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,” said Almeida. “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.”
Almeida will be flanked by McNulty, who raced the Tour in the service of Pogacar, catching the eye with a remarkable display of pace-making on stage 17 to Peyragudes. Like Almeida, the American is lining out at the Vuelta for the first time.
Soler is the only other rider from UAE’s Tour squad to be included here. The Spaniard was stricken by illness in the final week of the Tour and he finished outside the time limit on the first Pyrenean stage to Foix.
Ayuso’s Grand Tour debut will be watched with considerable interest, not least because of his recent run of form. The 19-year-old won the Circuito de Getxo two weeks ago, having placed fourth at Prueba Villafranca.
The Spaniard, who is under contract at UAE Team Emirates until 2028, has impressed in his first full season at WorldTour level, placing fifth overall at the Volta a Catalunya and fourth at the Tour de Romandie.
Although the Vuelta features some nine summit finishes, UAE Team Emirates will hope that Ackermann can make the most of the sprint opportunities that come his way, particularly on the opening weekend in the Netherlands.
The German won two stages on his previous Vuelta appearance in 2020, and he lines up at this race buoyed by his recent stage win at the Tour de Pologne.
The Vuelta gets underway with a team time trial in Utrecht on August 19 and concludes in Madrid on September 11.
