Remco Evenepoel headlines our team for one of the most prestigious stage races of the season.
For many riders a key pre-Tour de France test, the Critérium du Dauphiné will get underway from Domérat and the first two days should go to the fast men who can overcome the rolling terrain in Montluçon and Issoire. Stage three could be a good opportunity for the breakaway specialists, before the 17.7km individual time trial held in the Ardèche department, which will create the first significant gaps in the general classification.
Mâcon, a city that has featured many times on the route of the Grande Boucle, will give the sprinters one last opportunity to shine, with the climbers set to take center stage on the final three days of the race. Combloux, Valmeinier (16.5km, 6.7%) and Plateau de Mont-Cenis (9.6km, 6.9%) are the three summit finishes – boasting some steep gradients – that are going to be decisive for the overall standings of this 77th edition, with the winner of the yellow jersey set to be crowned next Sunday, after a stage of non-stop action.
Olympic Champion Remco Evenepoel, a stage winner at the previous edition, is set to lead Soudal Quick-Step at the Critérium du Dauphiné, where he’ll be backed by a strong cast comprising Pascal Eenkhoorn, Tour of Oman runner-up Valentin Paret-Peintre, Casper Pedersen, Pepijn Reinderink, Itzulia Basque Country stage winner Maximilian Schachmann and Louis Vervaeke.
“I’m happy to be back in action with the team. I had a solid altitude training camp in Sierra Nevada and now I’m ready for the Dauphiné. I can’t say that I’m going there with any specific goals, as the most important thing will be to see how the form is. It goes without saying that I would like to be in the fight for a couple of good results, but the plan is to take it one stage at a time and see where this leads next week”, said Remco.
“The course is very demanding, which isn’t a surprise. The time trial is going to be a nice test, although the differences won’t be big. The last stages will be the hardest of the race and will give us a good idea where we stand at the moment there. We’ll see how Remco is and we hope he can do a good time trial and be there on the climbs, but we aren’t thinking of going for the overall win. He can count on a strong and balanced team, and we’ll give our best to get some nice results”, sports director Tom Steels said.
Photo credit: ©Dario Belingheri / Getty Images
