Vuelta a Espana champion Fabio Aru insists his relationship with Astana team-mate Vincenzo Nibali is “very good” and that he’ll be happy to help him try and win the first edition of the Abu Dhabi Tour.

Astana have sent a strong contingent to the UAE capital including two team leaders in Nibali and Aru along with Diego Rosa.

With the third stage of the tour featuring a daunting 11km climb with an average gradient of 7.5 per cent, eyes will be on the Italian duo but Aru said he’s ready to ride for Nibali, who pulled off an impressive Lombardia win last Sunday.

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“I’ll do as well as I can, like always,” Aru said. “Vincenzo won a great Lombardia. We’ll see how I feel but I’ve no problem in helping Vincenzo. We get on despite what people think. I was really happy to work for him at the Tre Valli Varesine race and he won it. There are absolutely no problems.

“The relationship between me and Vicenzo is very good. I will help him and he will help me because we need to get a result for Astana, not just for us.”

With the 2016 Giro d’Italia route unveiled just two days ago in Milan, Nibali had told reporters there that he’d be willing to go for the Giro in favour of the Tour de France, which he could skip or ride to help Aru.

The statement came as a surprise to Aru, who was not at the route unveiling, and he said the team has yet to decide the programme for their riders next season.

He added: “In this moment I’m just thinking about finishing the season strong, the same goes for Fabio.

“I have the winter to make the programme for the new season, for me the Giro or the Tour and the same goes for Fabio, or he’ll have a different programme. I’m just focusing on Abu Dhabi.”

While many of the stars present in the pre-race press conference voiced how exhausted they were at the end of a long season, playing down their chances of winning in Abu Dhabi, both Astana riders said they have the General Classification red jersey as their main target.

Nibali said: “It is my first time in Abu Dhabi, and it is fantastic to be here. It is my last race of the season, and I am in good shape. 

“I have a very good team-mate, too, in Fabio Aru, so we can work together on the climb. To win this race overall is very important.”