"This Tour is too tough for both sprinters": Bakelants calls on Soudal-Quick-Step to select Remco Evenepoel for Tour de France

With Soudal - Quick-Step boss Patrick Lefevere seemingly having the tough decision of choosing between sprint pair Tim Merlier and Fabio Jakobsen for the Tour de France, ex-pro Jan Bakelants and Tom Boonen have come up with a left field solution, take neither.

"The Tour is much too difficult for them (Merlier and Jakobsen) this year. There won't be enough bunch sprints for those kind of sprinters," Bakelants explains. "Jakobsen and Merlier are both riders who have to strike immediately in the sprints in the first week. We saw that last year with Jakobsen, who did not even sprint in Paris."

The solution, Boonen believes is simple. "At Soudal-Quick Step, they gradually have to implement a change in mentality. Now they think they absolutely have to take a sprinter to the Tour," he questions. "The team has the unique opportunity to win the Tour with a Belgian (Evenepoel). But there is still work to be done."

"The difficult Tour start in the Basque Country was immediately the reason why Remco had to ride the Tour this year," Bakelants agrees. "You might get 10 chances in your career to ride the Tour. If you're there, you can win. If you're not there, you can't."