UAE National Champion Yousif Mirza returns to action following a successful ride at the Tour of Egypt where the Emirati picked up an impressive Stage win.

The 30-year-old, who won the Asian Cycling Championships last season, was dominant in winning stage five at Aswan last weerk,

The Ras Al Khaimah native will provide support at the Giro di Sicilia for General Classification hopeful Kristijan Durasek.

Joining the team will be Jan Polanc, Simone Petilli, Ivo Oliveira, Roberto Ferrari and Juan Sebastian Molano.

The Giro di Sicilia debuts on the UCI calendar this year and provides spectators in Southern Italy a chance to get a taste of road racing ahead of the Giro d’Italia this May.

The four-stage race will play out across the hills of Sicily, with Stage one setting off from the town of Catania on the east coast of the island.

Polanc knows this climb extremely well, having won the Giro d’Italia stage here in 2017.

“It’s always beautiful for me to return to Sicily and above all, to Etna. I’d like to repeat that show that gave me the Giro win,” he said.

“I like that climb and my condition after Tirreno-Adriatico is still good. I’m not going to be under any sort of pressure, but I’ll ride with optimism and courage.”

Mirza added: “I maintained my race rhythm that I had at the UAE championships, so I’m going to be heading to Sicily with good form. The team is competitive, and I’ll try to give my best and of course, and I’m motivated to race in Italy.”