Team Giant-Alpecin's early season continues this week with another race under warmer climatic conditions than currently settling in Europe, with the second edition of the Dubai Tour.

The race features just one rider who raced Down Under, with Chad Haga continuing in Dubai. For the other seven it will be the start of their 2015 campaigns. These seven come to Dubai following a period of training together in Cambrils, Spain, where the riders continued their season preparations under the close guidance of the performance team.

While last year's overall classification was in effect decided in the opening prologue, this year's race will feature four road stages from which an overall winner will emerge. For the three largely flat stages the team will have options for the sprints with both John Degenkolb and Luka Mezgec. They will be well supported by the experience of Roy Curvers, Johannes Fröhlinger and Thierry Hupond together with Haga, Tobias Ludvigsson and Zico Waeytens who makes his debut appearance for Team Giant-Alpecin.

"Our focus in Dubai will be with John and Luka for the sprints," confirmed team coach Aike Visbeek ahead of the race. "Tobias and Chad will then be the protected guys for the GC, and we will do a recon of the hilly stage before the race to see what we can expect.

"The riders had a very strong training camp in Spain in January, with separate sprinter and climber groups working hard to get into good shape for the start of the season. It's the first race for most of the guys but I think we can hope for a good week.

"When racing in the desert the weather conditions, and wind speeds in particular, can play their part and the riders will have to be alert to these circumstances, and riding as a team will be key."