UAE Team Emirates have announced a strong line-up that will be led by Fabio Aru for this weeks’ Giro d’Italia.

Aru, Italian national champion joins six-time stage winner Diego Ulissi, Valerio Conti, Marco Marcato and Manuele Mori along with Columbian climber Darwin Atapuma, Slovenia’s Jan Polanc and Norway’s Vegard Stake Laengen in the team for the first Grand Tour of the season. The race will take place between May 4 to 27.

General manager, Giuseppe Saronni said: “Our Italian riders give this roster a strong local flavour which honours the Giro d’Italia and we have the national champion in the tri-colour jersey, Fabio Aru. Fabio is going to the Giro d’Italia with a huge desire to make an impact. He will be joined by a group of riders who share the same feeling and will be able to support him in every scenario.

“The three non-Italians – Atapuma, Laengen and Polanc have shown their love for this race and their ability to contribute enthusiastically to the team. These riders know about success in this race, with six stage wins by Ulissi, two by Polanc and three by Aru, who has been on the podium twice.”

For the first time in Grand Tour history, the race will start outside of Europe before it ends in Rome on May 27.