Deceuninck-QuickStep will once again head into a weekend Classic with a stacked hand on Sunday at Amstel Gold Race, where the Belgian team will ride in support of Julian Alaphilippe and four-time winner Philippe Gilbert in search of the team`s 10th one-day race win this year. Alaphilippe has had a phenomenal season so far with eight wins, including Strade Bianche and Milan-San Remo. Gilbert, who won Amstel previously in 2010, 2011, 2014 and 2017, has two wins so far this year, including Paris-Roubaix last week. `We come here with two leaders,` said Deceuninck-QuickStep director Geert Van Bondt, `Julian, who tested his legs on Wednesday at Brabantse, and Philippe, who skipped the race to recover after Paris-Roubaix and feels good, so we can look to Amstel with confidence.`ADVERTISEMENT Alaphilippe and Gilbert will be backed in the 265.7km race by a proven Classics roster that includes Rémi Cavagna, Dries Devenyns, Mikkel Honoré, Pieter Serry and Petr Vakoc. The Dutch Amstel Gold Course course, which features a day of narrow and twisting roads, is peppered with 35 climbs, including the Cauberg, Kruisberg and Bemelerberg. The last climb of the day tops out 7.3km from the finish line. `Dries and Pieter have a deep knowledge of the parcours and will play an important role supporting our two guys, together with Rémi, Mikkel and Petr,` Van Bondt said. `There won´t be too much wind on Sunday, and the temperatures will be nice, and that will make for a very fast race, which means we have to stay focused at all times.`
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