The Belgian Tim Wellens and the Spanish Marc Soler will lead the UAE Team Emirates in the 71st edition of the Andalusia/Ruta del Sol cycling race, which will take place between February 19 and 23. This edition commemorates the centenary of the first evidence of the race, which will be played in four Andalusian provinces: Malaga, Jaén, Córdoba, and Cádiz. Wellens, 33, has a successful track record in the race, having won the general category in 2018, as well as five partial stages in different years.
Wellens has also achieved stage successes in other prestigious cycling events, such as the Giro de Italy, the Tour of Spain, Paris-Niza, and the Tour de Poland. He is joined by Marc Soler, 31, who has won the Tour of the Porvenir and Paris-Niza, and has achieved stage triumphs in the Tour of Spain, the Tour of Romandía, and the South Route in France.
The UAE Team Emirates will also feature promising young cyclist Pablo Torres, who has recently turned professional with the team. Torres, 19, has shown impressive results, including three partial triumphs in the D’Aosta Valley and the Tour de l’Avenir. He made his professional debut in the Tour Down Under, where he finished 22nd in the general classification and third among young cyclists.
The team’s lineup
In addition to Wellens, Soler, and Torres, the UAE Team Emirates will include other experienced cyclists, such as the Spanish Igor Arrieta, the Italian Alessandro Covi, the Norwegian Vegard Stake, and the French Pavel Sivakov. The team dominated the 2023 edition of the race, with Slovenian Tadej Pogacar winning the general classification and three stages.