Sunday sees two-time Tour de France winner Tadej Pogačar kicking off his 2022 campaign at his team's home race at the UAE Tour, the seven-day WorldTour opener which he won last year having finished runner-up at the abridged 2020 edition.
The Slovenian, starting the year as the premier stage racer in the peloton having won the past two Tours and six other stage races in the past three seasons, will be hoping to begin the year with another one to add to his collection, especially with a full-strength UAE Team Emirates squad behind him.
Speaking ahead of the race, which starts on Sunday with a flat sprint stage in the southern Emirates town of Madinat Zayed, the 23-year-old said that he's fully prepared for the challenge of racing again, despite missing out on some preparation time due to a COVID-19 infection earlier this month.
"My winter was really good," he said in a pre-race press conference. "I went to Sierra Nevada in Spain, where I unfortunately got COVID-19, but it was not serious.
"I just had four days off the bike, so I'm prepared for the first race. I'll try to win the title again."
Despite this week's race being just the fourth edition of the event, and despite its relative lowliness in the importance ranking for most WorldTour squads, for UAE Team Emirates it's unsurprisingly a major goal.
As a result, the team – which represents the country and national airline Emirates – has sent many of their biggest stars to the race, even with Fernando Gaviria missing out due to his third COVID-19 infection.
Along with Pogačar, the team will bring sprinter Pascal Ackermann, lead out man Max Richeze, time trialist Mikkel Bjerg, and climbers Rafał Majka, George Bennett, and João Almeida.
It's clear that the team is seeking success on all fronts in a race that includes a time trial, two summit finishes, and four likely sprints.
"It means a lot to me to have won this race last year as I'm riding for the UAE team," Pogačar said. "Every year, I see more people cycling here.
"We also have Ackermann for the sprints, Bjerg for the time trial, and a real composed team for GC with Majka and Bennett as well. We'll try to do our best every day."
The UAE Tour starts on Sunday, February 20. Click through for details on how to watch the seven-stage WorldTour race.
