World Champion @alafpolak1 and Ronde van Vlaanderen winner @k_asgreen will start their season in just a couple of days, at the @TourProvenceOFF: quickstep-alphavinylteam.com/en/news/5342/q… Photo: @BeelWout
As they eye the spring classics, the Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl Team leader will headline the lineup for the French race.
The Tour de la Provence begins this thursday and will take the peloton through 4 days of riding in the south of France, featuring opportunities for all kinds of riders, and is a popular early season destination for some of the best riders in the world to kick off their season.
“It’s for the first time in three years that the race starts with a time trial, and it should be something for Kasper, Ilan, and maybe Julian, they have a chance of getting a nice result there. The next two stages should have the sprinters and the puncheurs respectively in the spotlight, but the wind in the region could play an important role, so we’ll see how things will go there," said Geert Van Bondt, DS of the Belgian team.
The announcement was made hours before the team once again gave news on the lineup, as Tour des Flandres champion Kasper Asgreen has had a positive Covid-19 test and will no longer be at the start.
GC wouldn't ordinarily be a goal, but surely Julian Alaphilippe will be testing himself in the final day that is set to end the race in the Montagne du Lure. "The last day is the hardest one, and that’s where the general classification will be decided. It will be good to see where our riders are at this point in the season”.
With that being the day where most gaps will be made, Alaphilippe will likely see himself riding alongside the likes of Nairo Quintana and Ivan Sosa, the last two winners of the race who will be at the startline. Davide Ballerini, who won two stages last year, will also be at the start in an attempt to get back to his winning ways.
The Quick-Step team will have the presence aswell of Dries Devenyns, Pieter Serry, Ilan Van Wilder and Louis Vervaeke. It is not know yet if there will be a substitute for Asgreen.
claps 0visitors 91
Just in
Popular news
Latest comments
- Most of these have nothing to do with rider safety or are completely unachievablevappaxbipmv23-12-2024
- Depends on how fast the Cipressa would be beforehand and in what condition Philipsen would bevappaxbipmv23-12-2024
- Some things sound crazy until they aren't, what if he's actually right? 🤷vappaxbipmv23-12-2024
- Why make a comment to state the obvious? Of course MvdP is much better at CX than Pogacar, does anyone doubt that But that wasn't his pointvappaxbipmv23-12-2024
- If you look at road alone obvi Pogacar is the better rider. But maybe MVDP is the better overall rider since he can win in three plus disciplines?mobk23-12-2024
- Correction on 2021 Olympics. It was mainly the Dutch ladies who didn’t know who was leading the race. Other teams like the Germans and Italians knew that Kiesenhofer was out front.mobk23-12-2024
- A champion turning into a sore loser. Or is he on coke again?
UltimateOpportunist23-12-2024 - If you look at the major races they’ve both been in, van der Poel had the early edge as lately Pogacar has had the advantage. It’s all on procyclingstats.RidesHills23-12-2024
- I wouldn’t assume Tadej can’t win at cross. He did a cross race, not a World Cup, a few years ago and crushed the field. It was a minor race. But he can win anywhere.mij23-12-2024
- I wonder what would happen if Pogacar attacked on the Cipressa instead of the Poggio in San Remo? Would MvdPoel still be able to follow?Ride197423-12-2024