Kasper Asgreen gets another chance to lead Soudal - Quick-Step at 4 Jours de Dunkerque

Soudal - Quick-Step are experiencing one of the worst seasons in the team's history, with absolute classics drought, GC leaders Remco Evenepoel and Mikel Landa injured, and many former leaders looking to switch outfits for next season.

Now, the traditional French six-day stage race 4 Jours de Dunkerque definitely won't miraculously turn everything bad into good and take the Belgian team off to new heights, but it is an opportunity for rider like Kasper Asgreen to get into a better mood ahead of his objectives for second part of this year, whichever they may be.

The organizing party removed time trial from this year's route, massively hurting chances of riders who specialize in riding against the clock. While crosswinds could definitely shuffle the cards this week, the main gaps are expected to arise on the well-known Cassel circuit, which awaits riders on the penultimate stage with eight ascents up the cobbled climb.

"We travel to Dunkerque with a strong and motivated team, and on paper we’ll have a couple of chances of getting some good results there. The wind could play an important role in the first part of the race, before the terrain becomes harder and more selective towards the end of the week. We’ll try to be among the protagonists, like we always do," said sports director Klaas Lodewyck.