THE CONTENDERS
ADAM YATES
UAE TEAM EMIRATES
In the absence of Tadej Pogačar, Adam Yates will lead the line for the home team in his first race of the season. Yates has past form in the UAE Tour and won the general classification in 2020. The 31-year-old has a solid group of riders around him, including Brandon Mcnulty, to ensure he has the best chance of taking the honours once again.
CW rating ★★★★★
BEN O’CONNOR
DECATHLON-AG2R LA MONDIALE
Ben O’connor hasn’t quite managed to match the form that has previously seen him win Grand Tour stage at both the Giro d’italia and Tour de France in the last couple of years. But he is a climber of the highest calibre. An impressive solo win at the 1.1 ranked Costa Colida in Murcia last weekend suggests the Aussie has had a good winter.
CW rating ★★★
ROMAIN BARDET
DSM-FIRMENICH POSTNL
Romain Bardet is considerably older than the likes of Tadej Pogačar, but the Frenchman has shown that he is capable of matching the likes of the Slovenian on a one-off mountain climb. The absence of Pogačar, along with last year’s winner Remco Evenepoel, gives Bardet the opportunity to challenge for the GC or a stage podium.
CW rating ★★★
MARK CAVENDISH
ASTANA-QAZAQSTAN
Straight off the back of his time at altitude in south America that led to a win at the Tour of Colombia, Cav and his strengthened lead-out team will be high on confidence. But the competition will be much stiffer in the UAE.
CW rating ★★★★
OLAV KOOIJ
VISMA-LEASE A BIKE
Olav Kooij is largely still an unknown quantity. The young Dutch sprinter won four stages at last year’s Tour of Britain, albeit in a slimmed down peloton, but will find himself up against stronger competition here. If he gets the better of the likes of Cavendish, Groenewegen and Fabio Jakobsen, he could suddenly be the talk of the Worldtour.
CW rating ★★★★
DYLAN GROENEWEGEN
JAYCO-AIULA
Groenewegen will start the season with the pressure of Caleb Ewan breathing down his neck for the spot as Jayco’s main sprinter in the upcoming three Grand Tours. On his day, the Dutchman is one of the fastest sprinters in the business and with a solid team around him, he could dominate the sprint stages.
CW rating ★★★★