Entered this year in the UCI World Tour circuit, the third edition of the Abu Dhabi Tour will kick off on February 23 with four stages for a total of 671 kilometres.
“Race preview – said sport director Gorazd Štangelj – suggest three stages for sprinters with a medium mountain stages to outline the general classification”. “That’s why – he continued – the team will have two leading figures: Bonifazio for the sprints and Nibali for the GC.”
The Italian young sprinter will be to return to competitions after the Australian Santos Tour Down Under in January: “I have prepared this race riding on the roads of the Ligurian sea – tells Niccolò – and I hope to fight with the best.”
Good feelings also for the captain Vincenzo Nibali: “I just came back from the Teide training camp and the condition is improving. Compared to Argentina, I should be more competitive and I expect to do a good race. “
“I will be on my third Abu Dhabi Tour participation – said the Italian champion – and I well know the decisive climb. Slopes are interesting and there’s even a short downhill section. If you attack at the right time can make the difference”.
The Team Bahrain Merida will be at the start of Abu Dhabi Tour with: Vincenzo Nibali, Manuele Boaro, Franco Pellizotti, Kanstantsin Siutsou, Ramunas Navardauskas, Janez Brajkovic, Valerio Agnoli and Niccolò Bonifazio.