Two races in as many days for our team.
This weekend brings the final two stages of the Critérium du Dauphiné, the opening stage of the Tour de Suisse, but also a pair of one-day races on home soil for our team. Dwars door het Hageland (180km), scheduled on Saturday, and Elfstedenronde Brugge (196km), which takes place just twenty-four hours later, come with completely different routes, but the Soudal Quick-Step boys will try to be in the mix in both of them.
Former Belgian Champion Yves Lampaert, Luke Lamperti, Heistse Pijl winner Paul Magnier, neo-pro Andrea Raccagni, Martin Svrcek, Dries Van Gestel and Jordi Warlop will be at the start of Hageland, whose combination of hills, unpaved roads and cobbles should make again for an exciting race, but will line-up also for Elfstedenronde, ready to take on a parcours suited to the sprinters.
“Hageland has a parcours similar to the one of last year, with a lot of gravel sections making for a hard race before the demanding uphill finish in Diest. Positioning will be important, but also luck. Brugge is a flat race, but the outcome depends on the weather, because if there will be wind and rain, everything can change. Last week, we had a great run in Belgium, picking up two wins, and we would like to taste victory again this weekend. We have a strong team, with more than one rider who can feature in the finale, and that’s why we go with plenty of confidence to these two races”, said Soudal Quick-Step sports director Geert Van Bondt.
Photo credit: ©Luc Claessen / Getty Images
