Elia Viviani, Julian Alaphilippe and Enric Mas all feature in the Deceuninck-QuickStep squad for the Tour de France but there is no place for Paris-Roubaix winner Philippe Gilbert, who misses out on selection for the eight-rider Belgian team. Viviani will have four riders dedicated to leading him out in the sprints: Yves Lampaert, Michael Mørkøv, Max Richeze and promising debutant Kasper Asgreen. Mas, who placed second at last year´s Vuelta a España, will have Dries Devenyns for support on his Tour debut. `He´s our GC guy, but at the same time, this is his Tour de France debut and while he proved in the Vuelta that he can maintain his condition for three weeks, this is the Tour and it´s about learning,` directeur sportif Tom Steels said of Mas, who took ninth at the recent Tour de Suisse.ADVERTISEMENT `It is hard to explain what this race is until you have been part of it. Everything is harder in the Tour and he needs to understand that. He will need to be in a good position, even on the flatter stages, which are faster and more chaotic than in other races.` Viviani is making only his second appearance at the Tour after he rode La Grande Boucle in the colours of Liquigas in 2014. The Italian endured a trying, winless Giro d´Italia last month after lacking key lead out riders but he claimed two stage victories at the recent Tour de Suisse and will be among the main contenders for the first maillot jaune in Brussels on July 6 - a major goal for Deceuninck-QuickStep on their home roads. `We need to remember that it is his first time in years at the Tour. He has proved himself as a Grand Tour stage winner, but this is the Tour and with a full team behind him, he will need to stay calm and can hopefully take his opportunity with both hands,` said Steels. `Maybe it will be difficult to go for the green jersey, but we will see that day by day, as he´ll target stage wins.` Carte blanche for Alaphilippe
You can read more at Cyclingnews.com
|
