Ilnur Zakarin will lead Katusha-Alpecin at the Vuelta a España, which gets underway in Nimes on Saturday. He impressed en route to finishing fifth overall at the Giro d`Italia in May and he will aim to better that result on his Vuelta debut. Rein Taaramae will offer Zakarin robust support in the high mountains, while Maxim Belkov and Alberto Losada are also on hand. Sven Erik Bystrom, Marco Haller and Michael Mørkøv will be expected to be to the fore on the flat stages, though there is no place for European champion Alexander Kristoff, who leaves for UAE-Emirates at the end of the season. The Katusha line-up for the Vuelta is completed by José Gonçalves and Matvey Mamykin.ADVERTISEMENT Tour de France winner Chris Froome (Team Sky) lines out as favourite for the Vuelta and will renew acquaintances with July rivals Alberto Contador (Trek-Segafredo), Romain Bardet (AG2R La Mondiale) and Fabio Aru (Astana). Zakarin, meanwhile, is among the small group of contenders to have eschewed the Tour and prepared specifically for the Vuelta. Zakarin won the Russian time trial title in late June on his return to racing after the Giro, and he continued his Vuelta build-up by riding the Tour of Austria in July and the recent Tour de Pologne, where he placed 11th overall. Katusha-Alpecin for the Vuelta a España: Ilnur Zakarin, Rein Taaramae, Maxim Belkov, Alberto Losada, Sven Erik Bystrom, Marco Haller, Michael Mørkøv, José Gonçalves and Matvey Mamykin. Bewley renews with Orica-Scott Riblon looking for new team Romain Hardy extends at Fortuneo
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