The Tour de France has had it's presentation yesterday and Wilfried Peeters, a DS at Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl Team, has shared some of his thoughts regarding the Belgian team's current ideas for the Grand Tours.
“In the Basque Country you already have very difficult stages, there is always a climb at the end”, Peeters told Wielerflits after the end of the presentation. The hilly start to the race could suit Julian Alaphilippe, who won the opening stage and wore the yellow jersey in 2021, but also Remco Evenepoel who has on two occasions won the Clasica San Sebastian, that features ascents that will be raced on the second stage.
Read also
Although the profiles were not fully revealed, the route is particularly mountainous, and will not feature as many opportunities for the sprinters as the Tour usually offers. "That also means that there may not be many opportunities for Fabio Jakobsen... And there will be a lot of sprinters in a group of eighty or a hundred people. You should be okay in the first week and you should be able to climb a slope. We have already discussed that with him this winter, so we will definitely work on that," Peeters continued.
This hints as the likelihood of Fabio Jakobsen going through some climbing-specific training. Both he and new incoming sprinter Tim Merlier are some of the pure sprinters that struggle the most in the mountains, and Quick-Step is looking to at least eliminate the particular difficulty their fast men have when the road goes uphill.
Read also
Peeters says that it remains to be seen what Quick-Step-Alpha Vinyl will do with the various leaders. “I think we have to put all the Grand Tours side by side, then we can see what we are going to do with our sprinters and classification riders, such as Evenepoel, Jakobsen and Merlier. There has to be a good balance.”
The discussion on which Grand Tour Evenepoel will ride in 2023 is an ongoing one, with no answer to the question yet.
Read also
Rúben SilvaEditor-in-Chief
A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
Beyond editorial work, he has been closely involved in the expansion and coordination of CyclingUpToDate’s wider network, helping establish and support sister platforms across multiple languages. This includes ongoing collaboration with CiclismoAlDia (Spanish), CiclismoAtual (Portuguese), WielrennenUpToDate (Dutch), and RadsportAktuell (German), contributing to a shared editorial vision and consistent international coverage.
He also helps oversee editorial governance across the network, setting standards for accuracy and consistency and coordinating updates or corrections when needed.
Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
Within 18 months of launch, he helped grow CyclingUpToDate’s English-language platform into one of the most-read cycling news websites, built entirely from the ground up. As both a professional journalist and lifelong cycling enthusiast, his focus remains on delivering accurate, timely, and well-contextualized coverage.
claps 0visitors 0
Just in
Popular news
Latest comments
- Pidcock finished 9th place, 29 minutes down. he is a helluva rider, so gutsy. and he is amazing at all disciplines. but this headline is . . .mij09-11-2026
- I know, watch the video. and listen to her competitors. it was a tricky tacky call at best. WTF is this guy talking about??? my original comment was from the picture it didn't look like anything.mij09-11-2026
- I dunno what you're talking about. you make no sense. MS's competitor and the competitors coach said it was BS. she didn't deviate in a way that relegation should be required. revel LOL. you're so cool, in your own mind.mij09-11-2026
- deviation lol, watch the videomij09-11-2026
- the 'No different than women who follow and discuss celebs through gossip magazines' comment was unfortunately a bit off. didn't you just boast about your principles in the comments section of another article?Ketterechts08-11-2026
- Are you MrMauMau 2.0? Nothing you are saying is really relevant. Vaguely connected, but irrelevant. The conversation is whether Schreiber impeded Brand or not.
Rafionain-Glas08-11-2026 - He is boring
leedorney08-11-2026 - To Twoje przemyślenia te bla, bla :)
Dariusz08-11-2026 - Uwielbiam patrzeć, jak wyjeżdża na czoło peletonu i zaczyna się rzeź...Dariusz08-11-2026
- Yeah, unreal.
parisbound0008-11-2026
Loading
Memories from the 2022 Tour de France 😃 Photo: @GettySport
Write a comment