The UAE Tour consists of seven stages, including an individual time trial, four flat stages and two mountain stages. On the Jebel Jais, Primoz Roglic won two years ago, just ahead of Tom Dumoulin. With that, the Slovenian also sealed the overall victory.

Dekker is looking forward to his debut in the World Tour. He was scheduled to start his season in the Tour of Valencia in early February, but this race was canceled. “I was very disappointed, but fortunately I will really start now. I am especially curious how the riders in the peloton will react and how quickly I can adapt to it. I am mainly going there to learn, to gain experience and to see where I am now. I see it as a journey of discovery.”

Sports director Addy Engels: “Chris, Sepp and Jonas have a free role to go for the general classification. They will mainly focus on the time trials and uphill finishes. David is played out in the sprints. Experienced riders like Jos van Emden, Koen Bouwman and Christoph Pfingsten will support him. The most important thing is that the men ride as one team. In the Arab Emirates, the threat of echelons is always present. We have to be vigilant about that.”