Kristoff Leads UAE Team Emirates to Paris-Roubaix as Riders Gear Up for ‘A Sunday in Hell'

Dubai, UAE, April 7, 2018:  UAE Team Emirates has announced another strong line-up for one of the biggest races of the UCI World Tour season, Paris–Roubaix, as the group of riders look to beat the formidable ‘Hell of the North’. The majority of the team have already participated in races in northern Europe, with the exception of one, Roberto Ferrari, who comes in to replace Briton, Ben Swift following his crash at the Tour of Flanders.

 

Joining Ferrari at one of the most prestigious races on the tour will be: Alexander Kristoff, Filippo Ganna, Sven Erik Bystrøm, Marco Marcato, Oliviero Troia and Simone Consonni. The team will be guided by Sports Directors, Mario Scirea and Philippe Mauduit.

 

Commenting on Sunday’s race Scirea said: “We’re going to Paris-Roubaix with the hope that our leader Alexander Kristoff has recovered from a cold that slowed down the first part of his northern campaign. Alex is a warrior, but at this level you have to be 100% and ready to compete with the best. We are going to study a plan with our young riders, who are showing a great understanding and spirit for these type of races.”

 

First held in 1896, Paris-Roubaix is one of the oldest races in cycling and is considered one of the most difficult races of the UCI World Tour season – hence the nickname ‘The Hell of the North’. The 2018 edition’s 257km route features 29 cobbled sectors between Compiegne and Roubaix, with short bursts of smooth tarmac separating them. The riders will have 93km before they hit the rough stones, in which the breakaway could form a lead on the peloton and play an important part in the opening third of the race. From there on riders face some of the most testing conditions on the tour, which could be made worse by the wind and rain, the latter of which has a tendency to make the cobbles extremely slippery. The 1.4km stretch of cobble stones at Willems a Hem is the final significant sector of cobbles and we could see riders try to make a move as they attack in the final 10km stretch into Roubaix. The unique finish in Roubaix will see riders tackle two laps of the velodrome in front of a packed crowd, with thousands expected to turn out for the event – one of the highlights of the one-day race calendar. 

 

The team’s participation on the UCI World Tour gives the local community the opportunity to come together and support world-class athletes as they aim to