Patrick Lefevere: "We are going to sprint in the Tour with Fabio Jakobsen"

The Tour de France is quickly approaching and Fabio Jakobsen has already been confirmed as the leading sprinter for Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl Team, as Patrick Lefevere is on the final details of selecting the lineup for the second Grand Tour of the season.

“It is no secret that we are going to sprint in the Tour with Fabio Jakobsen. Although I will continue to speak with two words until ad nauseam," he said in a column at Het Nieuwsblad. "Last year, Sam Bennett was also a certainty, so to speak, but in the end Cavendish went to the Tour."

Lefevere said he was in contact with Cavendish at the Giro d'Italia, having said "I talked to him on the last weekend of the Giro. Mark said there: I'm a pro, I'll be ready until the last day." Sure enough the British sprinter completed the race, having taken a stage win on day three of the race. At the Tour though the goals will be different, as the team will be eyeing more stage wins and also the points classification.

The final riders for the Tour will be selected over the coming weeks as the riders enter their final preparation races. “Obviously, if you're going with a sprinter, you also need a lead-out. Until further notice, Michael Morkov is the best in the world in that role. Yves Lampaert and/or Florian Sénéchal have their place on the train," he added. The trio are Jakobsen's traditional leadout and are all expected to be at the race, also due to the cobbled stage into Arenberg where a yellow jersey and stage win can be up for grabs for the classics specialists.

"And because as a sprinter team you have to control the race, you also need a profile like Tim Declercq or Josef Cerny. Unfortunately, the latter fell ill again in the Dauphiné," he informed - leading to the conclusion that Declercq is close to confirming his spot at the Tour aswell.