“What struck me is that Kasper Asgreen is not there” - Jan Bakelants surprised by make up of Remco Evenepoel's Tour de France support squad

For Remco Evenepoel, his much anticipated Tour de France debut is now mere days away and the lineup of the Soudal - Quick-Step team built around the Belgian has been officially confirmed.

Mikel Landa, Jan Hirt, Ilan Van Wilder, Louis Vervaeke, Casper Pedersen, Gianni Moscon and Yves Lampaert will all be present at the Grand Depart in Florence later this week. According to ex-pro and former Tour de France stage winner Jan Bakelants however, there has been one notably absentee from the Soudal - Quick-Step roster for the 2024 Tour de France.

“What immediately struck me is that Kasper Asgreen is not there. I rate Asgreen highly. Last year he won a stage in the Tour. I think he could have left his mark in certain stages of this Tour de France," Bakelants assesses in conversation with HLN. “All the more striking is the fact that Gianni Moscon did make the selection. That's great for Moscon. But I don't think he's breaking the bank. A Tour selection is really a godsend for that man.”

The choice to go all in on Evenepoel has proven to be something of a controversial choice from the team. Alongside proven stage hunter and breakaway specialist Asgreen being forced to miss out, arguably the fastest sprinter on the planet, Tim Merlier will also be absent from the Tour de France. “It may not have been an easy choice. At Soudal Quick-Step they have no surplus riders, or riders who are currently proving their top condition. It is clearly everything for Remco Evenepoel," Bakelants assesses.

In that regard, much may rest on one man in particular. "Luckily Mikel Landa is there. But you can safely say that this is not the team that Jonas Vingegaard and Tadej Pogacar will have around them,” Bakelants says. “If those teams throw a bomb very early in a stage that is overloaded with cols, then it could well be that Remco Evenepoel will be there for the rest of the day with only Mikel Landa with him. I hope that for Remco, that Landa has his best legs in France. The Tour of Evenepoel stands or falls with the good performance of Mikel Landa. It would be a disaster if he crashed in week one and did not reach his optimal level. If Ayuso and Almeida are in the lead or if Laurens De Plus really pulls through - as he did in the Dauphiné - and Landa doesn't give up, Remco will be alone on the penultimate pass. And he has to collect his own water bottles.”