Team Novo Nordisk is slated to make its second appearance at the Dubai Tour with a strong sprinter’s roster when the four-day race kicks off on Wednesday, February 3.

“This year, we are going into the race with experience and are fresh off training camp where we saw notable physical improvements from our riders. All of this should help us build upon last year’s results,” Team Novo Nordisk Senior Vice President of Athletics Vassili Davidenko said. “Last year, we earned two top 10s and this year we are increasing our goals. I believe top fives and even a podium are realistic.”

Following a multi-week training camp in Spain, Team Novo Nordisk heads to Dubai with an experienced eight-man squad and serious sprinting depth. Team Novo Nordisk’s squad features Stephen Clancy (IRL), Javier Megias (ESP), Joonas Henttala (FIN), Nicolas Lefrançois (FRA), David Lozano (ESP), Andrea Peron (ITA), Charles Planet (FRA) and Martijn Verschoor (NED). All riders except for Clancy, Henttala and Planet were part of Team Novo Nordisk’s 2015 Dubai Tour roster.

“Martijn is ready and very excited to begin the racing season. He knows how to race well at Dubai and is even stronger than last year,” Davidenko said. “Our familiarity with the race should help us do better and achieve some solid results.”

Thirty-year-old Verschoor earned 13 top 10 finishes in 2015, including 10th on Stage 1 and seventh on Stage 4 of the Dubai Tour. Despite his strong results, the Dutchman was recovering from surgery and suffered numerous crashes throughout the 2015 season. He is motivated to start the 2016 season fresh and hoping to achieve even greater results.

“Last year’s results were good, but I hope to do better this year. Last year at the Dubai Tour, I had just come back from hip surgery and still wasn’t 100 percent. Due to the surgery, I lost some power in the sprints, which I feel I have gotten back this winter thanks to solid training in the gym,” Verschoor said. “I’m completely focused on performing well at Dubai Tour because I love this race. It is well organized, includes a great route with the long and fast sprint finishes that I prefer and features some of the best sprinters in the world. Our team is strong and I know we can be active throughout the whole race, present in breakaways and maybe even have a rider finish with a strong standing in the general classification.”

In its third edition, the Dubai Tour is a 2.HC UCI race where every stage of the 676-kilometer race begins at the Dubai International Marine Club. Ten of the 16 teams invited to this year’s race are World Tour squads.

The profile is similar to last year’s edition with most stages taking place within the urban sections of Dubai and designed for the sprinters. Stages 1 and 3 both take the riders east out of Dubai and into the desert country while stages 2 and 4 end in the heart of Dubai in front of notable landmarks such as the Palm Jumeirah and Business Bay.

The race begins Wednesday, February 3 with a 179-km stage that starts at the Dubai International Marine Club and finishes in Fujairah.

Team Novo Nordisk Roster Dubai Tour (Feb 3-6):

Stephen Clancy (IRL), Javier Megias (ESP), Joonas Henttala (FIN), Nicolas Lefrançois (FRA), David Lozano (ESP), Andrea Peron (ITA), Charles Planet (FRA), Martijn Verschoor (NED).