Aleksandr Riabushenko (left) of the UAE team poses with the other winners at the podium. Supplied

Few races on the cycling calendar are as iconic as Strade Bianche, a one day event which takes place on the white gravel roads of the stunning Tuscan landscape.

Despite this only being its 14th edition, the Italian ‘Spring Classic’ has quickly captured the imagination of cycling fans from around the world and this year its significance is greater than ever as it signals the restart of the WorldTour season.

The 2020 edition, which was postponed in March due to the global pandemic, returns on Aug.1 and UAE Team Emirates has assembled an all-star cast to take on the 184km route, which starts and finishes in Sienna.

Tadej Pogacar, whose last WorldTour race saw him win on top of Jebel Hafeet at the UAE Tour in February, joins a team of seven that includes his fellow countryman Jan Polanc, the Italian trio of Diego Ulissi, Valerio Conti and Davide Formolo as well as Sergio Henao and the 2013 World Road Race Champion, Rui Costa.

Diego Ulissi said: “It will be unusual racing on the white roads in August rather than March but regardless of that I’m sure it will be a beautiful race. It will be a little unpredictable for sure, because it is several months since we last raced, but I know me and my teammates have been preparing well. We are all just really happy and motivated to be pinning on a race number again”.

The team will be guided by Sports Director Marco Marzano, who added: “It will be a big moment to finally return to competition after the long period away. It has been a challenging time but the riders have stayed positive throughout the break and managed to prepare very well for these first races. It could be an unpredictable race, but we have a number of cards to play”.

The races come in quick succession for UAE Team Emirates following Strade Bianche with two different squads heading to back to back one day events in Italy with the Gran Trittico Lombardo (199.7km, Legnano – Varese) and Milano Torino (198km, Mesero – Stupinigi) taking place on Aug.3rd and Aug.5th respectively.

Earlier, Pogacar had expressed his happiness when he was named in the squad for Italian Tour and Tour de France.

“I was thrilled to find out last week that I will be part of the team’s roster who will be heading to Nice in August and racing in the Tour de France. The Tour de France is the biggest and most well-known race in the world and the pinnacle of any rider’s career. I’m super excited to be in the team and can’t wait to test myself against the best riders in the world at one of the hardest Tours,” said Pogacar.

“We’re now just six weeks away from the start of the revised UCI 2020 race calendar and I am looking forward to getting back to competitive racing. Knowing that I will be racing in the Tour de France means I can finally train with a specific goal in mind.

“I am feeling fit and strong and I am happy with the team at the moment. We’ve got a good mix of attributes for our Grand Tour line ups – having that balance of climbers, sprinters and stage hunters.

“It’s also great for the fans for racing to start again. I hope we can fill the gap that’s been left with no sport and get back to entertaining as many people as possible. The whole team is more motivated than ever with this new calendar, “ he added.

“Since I arrived at UAE Team Emirates, I felt part of the family. I have many friends in the team and there has always been a good atmosphere with the riders and the staff.

“That’s also one of the main reasons why I recently renewed my contract with the team until 2024. The UAE Team Emirates is a long-term project with some strong sponsors, and I am proud to be part of it. It is also important to have some security for the coming years.”

Meanwhile, Aleksandr Riabushenko got his season back to a strong start with a second place finish in the Belarus National Championships. The 24 year old from Minsk put in a strong solo ride to reach the podium, in a field heavily dominated by the local Minsk Cycling Club Team.

“It’s a great feeling to be back racing. I just missed out on a top-10 here last year so to come back and get a silver medal is a result I can be proud of. It’s a good result and my confidence and motivation are really high going into the first big races of the season with the team,” Riabushenko said.