Preview - Dubai Tour

Spaniard to lead Movistar Team's debut in Middle East, with Ion Izagirre making his first outing as Blue rider

After their victories in Argentina and following last Friday’s launch at Telefónica’s headquarters in Madrid, the Movistar Team will get back into racing from Wednesday as they tackle the first-ever Dubai Tour, a four-day stagerace until Saturday 8. Movistar Team will have to face a 10km opening, individual time trial in the Emirati city, followed by two short sprint stages and a mid-mountain stage en route to Hatta, on Friday 7.

The Blues’ debut in Middle East will also be Alejandro Valverde‘s first competition of the 2014 season, the Murcia rider leading a group of rouleurs which will also witness Ion Izagirre‘s Movistar Team career debut. The eight-man squad is completed by Spaniards Juanjo Lobato, Enrique Sanz,Jesús Herrada and Jonathan Castroviejo, Briton Alex Dowsett and Italian Adriano Malori, brilliant winner of the Tour de San Luis ITT.