Remco Evenepoel, Tim Merlier, and Tom Boonen were all present at our final outing before traveling to the start of the Grande Boucle.
Renson’s NOA Outdoor Living hosted Soudal Quick-Step’s pre-Tour de France media day. Mattia Cattaneo, Pascal Eenkhoorn, Remco Evenepoel, Tim Merlier, Valentin Paret-Peintre, Maximilian Schachmann, Bert Van Lerberghe and Ilan Van Wilder – the eight riders who will sport the team’s colors on the biggest race in the world – outlined the Wolfpack’s goals and their hopes for the race taking place between 5-27 July.
“It’s difficult to say if I have managed to close the gap to the two guys who finished ahead of me in the general classification of last year’s Tour. I think we’ll see this on the road, where we’ll take it stage by stage. We expect a hectic first week, very tricky and completely different from the previous edition. I can’t say I’m looking forward to it, but we’ll try to survive and hopefully we’ll make it out of it without any injuries. I will just do my best and see where we will be GC wise on the first rest day”, Remco said during Wednesday’s event.
The fastest man in the sport, winner of ten races this year alone, Tim Merlier will try to carry the good form he has displayed since the start of the season into the Tour, where he returns for the first time since making his debut, four years ago: “The first day will be a very important one for all the sprinters in the race, because it’s a big opportunity to take the yellow jersey. There are a lot of strong sprinters at the start, but we don’t lack the confidence and motivation to go for stage wins. We know there will be opportunities and we’ll try to make the most out of them.”
The event also featured a special moment and a special guest. Tom Boonen – a six-time Tour de France stage victor and winner of the coveted green jersey in 2007 – attended the presentation at Renson’s NOA Outdoor Living, where he presented Remco Evenepoel with a unique Specialized bike to mark our squad’s 1000 victories – a fantastic milestone we reached just a few weeks ago.
A cobbled classics legend, winner of Ronde van Vlaanderen and Paris-Roubaix a combined total of seven times, World Champion in 2005, and a man who is synonymous with the team’s blue livery, Boonen played a huge part in the Wolfpack’s history, over the course of his 15-year-career with us scoring a staggering 120 victories.
“I’m very proud to have been part of this team’s history and to have brought all those wins. Of these, a team one stands out after all these years, the first edition of the World TTT Championships in Valkenburg. It was an amazing team effort and a special day for me, which counts more than any individual victory”, said Tom, who also received a Specialized bike to honor his extraordinary achievements with Soudal Quick-Step.
Soudal Quick-Step would like to express their gratitude to Renson for hosting us and giving the team the perfect sendoff to the Tour de France!
Photo credit: ©Wout Beel
