UAE TEAM ADQ

The UAE Development Team's season is started in the best way, as good results have come in (three podiums in four races, and one win) and sports directors Davide Gani, Aida Nuño Palacio and Giuseppe Lanzoni are satisfied with the girls' performance.

The pursuit of excellence, however, is not just about achieving results, but learning to compete with discipline, organization and the right mindset. This is the summary of the thoughts of Davide Gani, who comments on the start of the season as follows.

"We are very happy with the first four races," explains the UAE Development Team's sport director, "because our athletes competed following the plan we agreed on and those who had to take responsibility for making the result did so. To take a step forward, now we have to learn to adapt to different race situations and also know how to change our plans during the race."

Definitely participating in the Vuelta Extremadura (March 08-10) will be a perfect opportunity to grow. At the start of the stage race will be Lola Bryson-Boe, Beatrice Caudera, Elisabeth Ebras, Federica Piergiovanni, Emma Redaelli and Sophia Zwaan. Also competing with them will be Mikayla Harvey of UAE Team ADQ.

"Competing in a stage race is crucial for the growth of our athletes," says Davide Gani, "because you learn to race trying to reach more goals that can be the stage victory or a special classification. When you compete in a race like this, the pressure grows, but in this we will have to be good at teaching the right mindset, how to manage the pressure and above all how to unite the group even more. It will not be the result that will be important, but conveying our philosophy and working following a precise organization. This is the most important victory: competing with the right mindset and in an organized way.

In addition to the Vuelta Extremadura UAE Development Team will also participate in the Tour de Normandie (March 14-17). In this race Lola Bryson-Boe, Beatrice Caudera, Elisabeth Ebras, Federica Piergiovanni, Emma Redaelli and Sophia Zwaan will once again participate.

"I am lucky because our athletes already have a very good mentality and are very united," explained Davide Gani, "we are very happy with that and, in some ways, we are further along in our growth process than we expected. Having had two long training camps in December and January helped us create a real group and transmit the right ideas that it takes to be a team. Once again I repeat: it will not be the results that say whether 'we will have won.' The real victory is to grow from a mental standpoint above all, because our biggest goal is to prepare our girls for the World Tour."