Sam Bennett will make his season debut with Deceuninck-QuickStep at UAE Tour, which gets underway this weekend.
The Irishman will be supported by a strong lead-out; headed by the most reliable man in the business, Michael Mørkøv, and aided by Shane Archbold.
Carrick-on-Suir’s Bennett will be looking to hit the
ground running after a brilliant season last year which included two stage wins
and the green jersey at the Tour de France.
While some top sprinters, including Arnaud Demare (Groupama-FDJ) and Dylan Groenewegen (Jumbo Visma), will be missing, Bennett will still have his hands full.
His toughest opposition in the sprints is likely to come from Caleb Ewan; the Australian Lotto-Soudal rider having edged out Bennett for victory on the Hatta Dam finish last year.
The race gets underway on Sunday and with four of the seven stages expected to finish in sprints it should be a great race for Sam Bennett and the other fast men in the field, of which there are plenty.
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Aside from Ewan, Giacomo Nizzolo (Qhubeka ASSOS) will also be in the race, fresh from his sprint victory in Clasica de Almeria last weekend.
Another man going to UAE Tour having already scored a sprint win this year is Phil Bauhaus of Bahrain Victorious, having taken a stage at Tour de la Provence on Sunday.
Sam Bennett’s former team, Bora-hansgrohe, will look to
Pascal Ackermann for success in the sprints. Team DSM has selected Cees Bol and
BikeExchange is bringing Luka Mezgec for the fast finishes, while Israel
Start-Up Nation is opting for Andrew Greipel and Rik Zabel.
Elia Viviani (Cofidis) will look to press the re-set button
with his French team after an indifferent debut season with the outfit last
year when he failed to win a race.
Likewise, Fernando Gaviria (UAE-Team
Emirates) will also be looking to get his career back on track after
contracting Covid-19 twice last year.
The Colombian still managed to take six
wins last year, though not in top tier races, and despite his success in 2021
he will want to prove he can win at the highest level after his illnesses.
Alpecin Fenix is bringing its new sprinter Jasper Philipsen, as well as Mathieu van der Poel; a combination that gives the team options in any form of sprint.
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