The new race Dubai Tour, organized by Giro d’Italia organizers RCS Sport, will be driven from February 5th till February 8th. Cannondale Pro Cycling will participate in the first edition of the race. This will be the team's first ride in the Middle East followed by the Tour of Qatar and the Tour of Oman.

The four stages of the Dubai Tour will take place in the United Arab Emirates' largest city and includes an opening stage 10 km ITT and three road races. This will be team leader Peter Sagan's second major race of the season after debuting at the Tour de San Luis in Argentina where he took second place in the 7th stage.

"The Tour de San Luis was a positive starting point. Each day I felt more and more comfortable, and that's the most important result in the beginning of the season," said Sagan. "The Dubai Tour will be exciting and the high level of the competition will be a big push to improve my performance. I have strong teammates around me; that's all I need to do well."

Strategically selected by Cannondale Pro Cycling team managers, Dubai Tour riders include captain Damiano Caruso as well as Marco Marcato, who both kicked off the season in Argentina. Joining Sagan, Caruso and Marcato are five other riders ready to take on their first race - Ted King, Daniele Ratto, Maciej Bodnar, Fabio Sabatini and Juraj Sagan. Sabatini will be returning to the competition after a five-month recovery following a crash at the U.S.A. Pro Cycling Challenge in 2013.

"Dubai Tour is an important race, and we expect the entire team to perform well," said Directeur Sportif Dario Mariuzzo, who will manage the eight riders. "Sagan will be our frontrunner, and he will have a number of opportunities to garner top results, but first and foremost, I want to see a united and motivated team."