With the women's team already back on the winning track, next week it is the turn of Mitchelton Scott's men's team to restart their racing season at the Vuelta a Burgos, July 28-August 1, with Lemko Evenpole, Mark Cavendish, Alejandro Valverde, and Richard Karapas will compete.

The five-day race features two stages for sprinters, while the remaining four days are reserved for climbers and GC contenders.

"It's going to be a pretty competitive group. Realistically I think it's going to be competitive, but the biggest thing is that it's going to be a test after not racing for four and a half months," Matt White said in a statement released by the team.

"I think the majority of the field will be racing at altitude, so the overall level will be very high. We will see how competitive it is. Some riders will be aiming for the Tour de France, others for the Giro.

While Yates is using this race to prepare for the Giro d'Italia, his Colombian teammate Chavez is on the road to the Tour de France. 30-year-old Chavez spent most of COVID-19 in his native Colombia, but is back in Europe and ready to go. He has fond memories of this race, which he successfully completed in 2012, but having previously finished on the podium at the Giro d'Italia and being the winner of Il Lombardia in 2016, he is looking forward to the challenge that awaits him next week.

"I'm really nervous, excited, and anxious, but I think I'm in good shape. Personally, Lockdown was a good time for me and afterwards I'm more hungry and able to see everything from a different perspective. Burgos is the beginning of this new chapter for me and I am very excited. The most important thing about Burgos is, of course, to see how I perform, but also to get back to the race, meet my teammates and staff, and rejoin the racing atmosphere. That would be really great.

"Burgos has a special place in my heart, having won the 2012 Vuelta a Burgos, my first pro win on the final stage of Lagunas de Neira. I'm pretty excited to have that climb again this year. 'There are two hilltop finishes this year, so it's good to know how my legs compare to the others and how my training and all my work in Colombia has been going, now that I'm starting my European campaign.'

Mitchelton Scott competing in the Vuelta a Burgos: Esteban Chavez, Alex Edmondson, Jack Hague, Lucas Hamilton, Chris Juul-Jensen, Mikkel Nieve, and Simon Yates.