Having started their season at the Tour Down Under, Team Tinkoff-Saxo are ready for their second race of the season, the Dubai Tour. Without a prolific winner on their roster, the team will race aggressively as it chases a top 10 on GC and a possible stage win.

Team Tinkoff-Saxo didn't make many headlines in their first race of the season, the Tour Down Under, and is now looking to get some time in the spotlight as they line up for their second race of the season, the Dubai Tour. The team has selected a versatile roster that has a number of options in the new race which kicks off tomorrow.

The race opens with a 10km time trial in Dubai that is likely to have a crucial impact on the final GC. The four-day race continues with three road stages of which two are held in the city and likely to end in big bunch sprints. The third day offers the only climbing in the race but the stage is unlikely to be very selective.

Tinkoff-Saxo will be spearheaded by an in-form Rory Sutherland who narrowly missed the top 10 in the Tour Down Under. The Australian will be hopeful that a good performance in the opening time trial will set him up for a good overall result. The same goes for youngster Michael Valgren who also specialises in the race against the clock.

For the sprint stages, the team will rely on the duo of new signing Nikolay Trusov and veteran Matteo Tosatto while climbers Bruno Pires, Ivan Rovny and Oliver Zaugg will found little terrain to their liking. The team is completed by Jay McCarthy.

 
To support our boys, DS Tristan Hoffman will be calling most of the shots and he has a clear plan for the race.
 
“The boys here are excited about doing this new race," he said. "The first stage is a time trial over 10 kilometers and the boys will go full gas. After the TT, we’ll see where they are in the GC and make a more detailed plan from there.

"For Michael (Valgren), Rory (Sutherland), Jay (McCarthy) and Nikolay (Trusov) it’s the second race of the season so they have some race kilometers in their legs and hopefully that will be an advantage for us. The other guys are coming straight from a training camp in Gran Canaria and they're eager to launch the season. The primary goals are to win a stage and get a top 10 position in the GC.
 
You can read our preview of the race here. Starting at 10.45 CET, you can follow all four stages on CyclingQuotes.com/live.

Team Tinkoff-Saxo for the Dubai Tour

Rory Sutherland, Michael Valgren, Ivan Rovny, Oliver Zaugg, Bruno Pires, Matteo Tosatto, Nikolay Trusov and Jay McCarthy