UAE Team Emirates are making moves this transfer window, signing five new riders for 2020 including Italian champion Davide Formolo and young rising stars.
The WorldTour team is adding to its pool of talent for sprints and the general classification, with Formolo making the move from Bora-Hansgrohe on a two-year contract.
UAE have also signed Argentinian champion and lead-out veteran Maximiliano Richeze from Deceuninck – Quick-Step to be the last man for sprinter Fernando Gaviria.
>>> Seven unforgettable racing moments of the 2019 season so far
On the signing of 26-year-old Formolo, UAE general manager Joxean Matxin said: “Formolo will form an integral role in the fabric of our team.
“Davide has great qualities and great potential. He has already achieved some good results in the Classics and in the general classification of stage races and we are confident that he can reach even greater heights in the years to come. He will have the full support of the team for his objectives in the Ardennes Classics and beyond.”
Formolo, a Giro d’Italia stage winner and top-10 finisher in the Vuelta a España, is leaving German team Bora after a two year spell.
This year, Formolo finished second in Liège-Bastogne-Liège and won his first national title.
He said: “I spent two wonderful years with my current team, but I felt my goals and the plan laid out by UAE Team Emirates fitted together perfectly, so I decided to join this exciting project.
“The next few years I want to mainly focus on hilly one-day Classics.”
>>> Cycling transfers 2020: All the ins and outs from the WorldTour
Formolo will race alongside his compatriot and general classification rider Fabio Aru, as well as Ireland’s Dan Martin who also thrives in the hilly Classics.
On Richeze's signing, Matxin said: "Over the years, Richeze has become increasingly important for the teams where he rides, he possesses the perfect mix of skill and strength on the bike with experience and intelligence.
"I have no doubts when I say that he is the best lead-out man in the world, and will slot into our sprint train as the last man for Gaviria, as the pair are well used to working together already [at Quick-Step]."
UAE have also signed young American prospect Brandon McNulty and the under-23 world time trial champion Mikkel Bjerg.
Italian Alessandro Covi will also join the team from continental outfit Colpack while the winner of the 2019 Baby Giro, Andres Ardila, will also make the step up to the WorldTour.
-
-
Seven men jailed for stealing bikes worth £70k from Rutland Cycling shop
Police caught the gang of thieves who had stolen 23 bikes from the chain store in Grafham Water
By Ryan Dabbs •
-
These are all the teams applying for WorldTeam and Women’s WorldTeam status next year
Qhubeka-NextHash miss the first deadline, as five women’s teams apply to step up to the top level
By Alex Ballinger •
-
UAE Team Emirates announces it will be taking over Alé-BTC-Ljubljana women's team
With the takeover it should mean that the team is in the Women's WorldTour in 2022
By Tim Bonville-Ginn •
-
Tadej Pogačar adds World Championships and Giro d'Italia to his wish list but is not done with the Tour de France
The Slovenian says he's still hungry to win at the Tour despite his dominance over the last year
By Tim Bonville-Ginn •
-
Tadej Pogačar says we need more long range attacks in cycling after his 120km solo move
The double Tour de France winner says that races should be more attacking like Paris-Roubaix
By Tim Bonville-Ginn •
-
George Bennett to leave Jumbo-Visma for UAE Team Emirates in 2022
The New Zealand climber has signed a two year deal with the team
By Tim Bonville-Ginn •
-
Marc Soler and Pascal Ackermann sign for UAE Team Emirates as WorldTour squad steps up recruitment
Tadej Pogačar's team have made a number of high-profile additions within a week of the transfer market opening
By Jonny Long •
-
João Almeida joins UAE Team Emirates on long-term contract
The Portuguese rider has signed a massive five-year deal
By Tim Bonville-Ginn •
-
Tadej Pogačar opts out of Vuelta a España 2021 as he focuses on one-day races
The Tour de France winner is looking ahead to the GP Plouay in Brittany instead
By Tim Bonville-Ginn •
-
There's a new wonderkid on the scene joining UAE Team Emirates and the Spanish are going mad over him
UAE Team Emirates have already signed the 18-year-old on a five-year contract.
By Chris Marshall-Bell •
