Vincenzo Nibali will compete in his first Trek Segafredo race at the Volta Ao Algarve, February 19-23. He will compete in Portugal along with Il Lombardia winners Bauke Mollema and Jasper Steiven.

Nibali and Mollema have recently been training at high altitude on Mount Teide before their season debut at the Volta Ao Algarve.

"I have made many season debuts, but debuting with a new team brings a certain amount of anxiety," Nibali said on Friday.

"I agreed with the team that Volta ao Algarve is the right time to start the season. It's an ideal time, especially after the important work he did in Teide and for a player like me who doesn't have to rush to make his debut. It will be a long season, and my first big goal is the Giro d'Italia. In order to reach the best possible condition there, I need to have a clear roadmap and go step by step without putting too much strain on my physique. The Algarve is the perfect starting point."

Nibali, who spent the past three seasons with Bahrain-Merida, joined Trek-Segafredo this winter. He will lead his new team in the Giro d'Italia and skip the Tour de France to prepare for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. He will also ride the Vuelta a España before the world championships in Martigny.

The 2020 Volta ao Algarve features a summit finish in Alto da Foia on stage 2, an uphill finish in Marhão on stage 4, and a 20.3 km time trial in Lagoa on the final stage.

2019 winner Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates) will not return this year, but Miguel Angel Lopez (Astana), Dan Martin (Israel Startup Nation), and Remco Evenpole (Detunink-Quickstep), and Geraint Thomas (Team Ineos), who will also open the 2020 season in this race.

"Two climbs, a tough route and a time trial.

"This is my first time in this race and I can't compare it to my past experiences. To be honest, it's not easy to harbor ambitions of winning, but I'm sure we will give 100% performance to help the team's ambitions. The season is off to a great start, and I'm looking forward to the next few months.

After ending the 2019 campaign on a high note with a victory at Il Lombardia, Morema has opted to delay the start of the 2020 season. Morema, a Dutchman, was selected to represent Trek-Segafredo in the Tour de France with Richie Porte.

"The winter ended in the best possible way, without any hiccups or problems, and I have fully recovered from the exciting but energy draining finale of the 2019 season," Mollema said.

"That's why I decided to postpone my debut compared to previous years. We also added a training camp in Teide, so we did quite a lot of work to prepare."

Antonio Nibali is also set to make his Trek Segafredo debut in Portugal, and the team's lineup includes classic units such as Jasper Stuyven, Ryan Mullen, Edward Theuns, and Kane de Courto

"Ryan Mullen,"

"Considering the level of competition, I think a top-five finish would be a specific goal.