The season has kicked off in earnest and Team Giant-Shimano is ready continue their good start to the season at Dubai Tour and the Etoile de Besseges. Marcel Kittel will target wins in the Middle East while the team hopes that John Degenkolb will take his first win of the season in the French stage race.

Team Giant-Shimano got their season off to a perfect start when Marcel Kittel won their first ever race, the People's Choice Classic in Australia. Since then, they have had a harder time, with Kittel leaving the Tour Down Under empty-handed and John Degenkolb only sprinting to 4th in yesterday's GP La Marseillaise.

The team hopes to get back on track this week when they will line up in races in both Dubai and France. The team is famously known for its sprinters and will have their two major fast finishers leading the rosters in the two races.

Marcel Kittel spearheads the squad at the new race, Dubai Tour, favouring the fast men, supported by a strong group including Lawson Craddock in his first outing for the team. The race starts with a 9.9km individual time trial followed by three road stages which are all fast, flat and windy prospects.
 
“Our goal for Dubai will be to get the sprint train up to race-speed and off the back of this get a stage win with Marcel,” said coach Aike Visbeek. “The riders are very motivated and ready to go after a productive three-week training camp. The race should be an exciting one with short, fast, windy stages so we will have to stay concentrated all the time.”

Kittel will be supported by some of his strongest lead-out riders as Tom Veelers and Koen De Kort who are usually the two final riders in his train will both be present. Bert De Backer, Ramon Sinkeldam and Reinhardt Janse Van Rensburg will add strength to a very strong lead-out while Craddock and Cheng Ji will probably have the role of chasing down early breakaways.

On Wednesday, the team also lines up for the first European stage race of the season, the Etoile de Besseges in the South of France. The team is formed mostly of the riders who raced the GP Marseillaise on Sunday, where John Degenkolb took fourth.

The French race usually offers a number of sprint opportunities and Degenkolb will be eager to take his first win of the season after failing to finish off his team's hard work yesterday. Jonas Ahlstrand and Roy Curvers will be on hand to support him in the lead-out.

The race also includes a hillier stage and ends with a time trial that will be crucial for the overall. With Tobias Ludvigsson on hand, the team has a rider capable of fighting for the win in the race against the clock and the GC.

New signings Dries Devenyns and Chad Haga will provide the team with strength on the climbs while Tom Stamsnijder and Albert Timmer are known as loyal domestiques who can play a role in chasing down breakaways.

“The guys worked really well on Sunday and showed they had some good form coming into Bessèges,” said coach Christian Guiberteau. “The weather often makes it a difficult race and the GC can be quickly lost in the crosswinds.
 
“The final time trial will be important and it will be the first race outing for the guys on their Giant Trinity Advanced SL bikes. Like Marseille we will aim to work well together and adapt to different scenarios.”

CyclingQuotes will have live coverage of all four stages of the Dubai Tour and will have an extensive preview of the race.

Team Giant-Shimano for the Dubai Tour:

Marcel Kittel, Tom Veelers, Koen De Kort, Ramon Sinkeldam, Reinhardt Janse Van Rensburg, Lawson Craddock, Cheng Ji and Bert De Backer

Team Giant-Shimano for the Etoile de Besseges:

John Degenkolb, Jonas Ahlstrand, Roy Curvers, Tom Stamsnijder, Albert Timmer, Tobias Ludvigsson, Dries Devenyns and Chad Haga