Daily Cycling News Digest – February 19, 2021

In today’s cycling news updates, revised road calendar, UAE Tour rosters and more

UCI Updates 2021 International Road Calendar

The UCI and representatives of professional road cycling’s principal families –organisers (AIOCC), teams (AIGCP) and riders (CPA) – met yesterday for a video conference organised by the Federation, to discuss the current status of the 2021 UCI International Road Calendar in view of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The international pandemic has continued to lay waste to the race calendar, with 38 events already cancelled and 24 requesting a move to later in the year. The federation has a lot of work on their hands going ahead to review the requests and reschedule where feasible.

The most up-to-date information concerning postponed or cancelled events on the UCI International Calendar is published on its website.

Nizzolo & Pozzovivo lead Team Qhubeka ASSOS at UAE Tour

The Italian duo of Giacomo Nizzolo and Domenico Pozzovivo will lead Team Qhubeka ASSOS (TeamQhubeka.com) at the middle-east’s premier cycling race.

The team will have one of the race’s headline sprinters at the start, European and Italian Champion Nizzolo, fresh off his victory at Clasica de Almeria this past weekend. Veteran climber, Domenico Pozzovivo will be taking aim at the two climbing stages and a strong overall GC result for Team Qhubeka ASSOS.

Support for the team’s co-leaders will come in the form of Max Walscheid, Lasse Norman Hansen, Bert-Jan Lindeman, Harry Tanfield and Matteo Pelucchi.

“I am looking forward to starting my season with Team Qhubeka Assos at the UAE Tour, where it will be a nice change to ride in a warm climate once again,” said Domenico Pozzovivo. “The first race is always interesting to see how the legs will respond after a long period of training but for sure we will give 100% every day.”

Team Novo Nordisk’s Sam Brand Nominated for Isle of Man Sportsman of the Year

TNN announced today that team member Sam Brand has received two nominations in the 2020 Isle of Man Sports Awards.

In addition to becoming a three-time nominee in the IOM Sports Ambassador category, Brand was excited to discover he’s been nominated in the marquee Sportsman of the Year category.

The 29-year-old said the nominations are humbling and what makes the news special is the nomination system is based on recommendations from his peers and the public.

”It’s pretty humbling to receive these nominations for something I do every day and which someone thinks is special. It means a lot to me.” Brand said speaking from the island.

“What we do as a team is to help people living with diabetes believing they can achieve their dreams no matter the condition. We set an example showing what we’re achieving on and off the bike and to get recognition at the top sports level in the Isle of Man alongside my peers is phenomenal. It’s the next step, for me. It’s something I could only dream of when I started cycling as someone living with diabetes.”

Caleb Ewan Ready to Start Sprinting

Lotto Soudal sprinter Caleb Ewan will begin his 2021 cycling season at the UAE Tour. This seven-day stage race in the Middle East will be the first WorldTour event of the season for Lotto Soudal.

The sprinter will be more than happy with four possible sprint stages. Day two of the UAE Tour features a 13-kilometre individual time trial, which will give the GC its first shape. In both stage three and stage five, the peloton faces a summit finish, which will most likely be decisive for the overall standings. However, the risk of echelons forming is never far away in the desert.

The UAE Tour will be the first race of the season for Caleb Ewan. The 26-year-old Australian has already won three stages in the Middle East and is looking forward to compete against the world’s best sprinters. Ewan will be supported by Roger Kluge, Jasper De Buyst and Tosh Van der Sande, among others.

“Preparations for the new season have been quite good”, says Caleb Ewan. “It is the first time I stayed in Europe for the winter and I really had to get used to the cold. The training camp in January was perfect to lay the foundations for the season ahead. The UAE Tour is generally the first race of the season where all the big sprinters come together. With for example Bennett, Ackermann, Gaviria, Nizzolo, Viviani, Bauhaus and Philipsen, the competition is definitely looking tough. Therefore, the UAE Tour is always a nice opportunity to test yourself against the other guys and see who’s going well and who’s not. Just like previous years, there are quite a few opportunities for the sprinters, so I am definitely looking forward to it.”

Chris Froome Ready to Test Legs at UAE Tour

Team Israel Start-Up Nation will begin its second UAE Tour on Sunday. With a squad of seven riders, including Israeli champion Omer Goldstein, Andre Greipel and Alex Dowsett, the UAE Tour will see the much-anticipated debut of Chris Froome in Team Israel Start-Up Nation (ISN) uniform.

“It is with much anticipation that I will be kicking off my 2021 season in Dubai at the UAE Tour,” said Chris Froome, who will compete in the race following three months of rehab and training in California. “It will be my first race with Israel Start-Up Nation and the start of a new and exciting adventure for me. I look forward to racing with my new teammates and testing out my legs after a productive winter.”

Making his second appearance in the race will be Israeli Omer Goldstein, this time as national champion, a title he won for the first time in November. “Racing is one thing,” Omer Goldstein says, “but if we, as a team, can also contribute to the positive relations between people or countries, then it is even better.”

The team’s ambitions for the UAE Tour, which consists of four flat stages, one individual time trial and two mountain stages, are clear. “We aim for the highest results,” said Rik Verbrugghe, the team’s Sports Manager,  “but it is hard to put a number on that. We want to show that [Andre] Greipel is still in the highest ranks amongst sprinters, and that [Ben] Hermans and [Chris] Froome are strong climbers.”