Update
After initially being ruled out due to a stomach bug, we are pleased to announce that Michael Woods has recovered enough to take the start in Vuelta a Andalucía on Wednesday after all!
Israel – Premier Tech will take on Vuelta a Andalucía with an opportunistic team, eager to fight for daily success despite late changes to the lineup.
As the two designated leaders, Michael Woods (sickness) and Jakob Fuglsang (recovering from Covid after testing positive after Volta a Valenciana, but feeling fine), both had to skip the race last minute, IPT will be changing its strategy. Sports director, Oscar Guerrero, explains that the team will adopt a day-by-day approach for the Spanish five-day stage race.
“Everything was super clear with our leaders but now we have to reassess. However, we still have very strong riders here able to fight for good results, be it in a reduced sprint or from a breakaway. For the general classification, we will have to wait and see how things evolve. This is a very hard race and we will take it day by day.”
All five stages of Vuelta a Andalucía include several hills to overcome with thousands of meters of climbing every day.
The opening stage finishes with a short kicker towards the line, offering the first chance for the team to get in the mix and fight for glory. Afterwards, three challenging days awaits the riders before the queen stage on the final day with the mountain top finish to Chiclana de Segura.
Vuelta a Andalucía (16-20 Feb)
IPT Lineup: Guillaume Boivin (CAN), Alex Cataford (CAN), Guy Niv (ISR), Michael Woods (CAN), Corbin Strong (NZL), Sep Vanmarcke (BEL), Simon Clarke (AUS).
Sports Directors: Oscar Guerrero (ESP), Claudio Cozzi (ITA).
