Jasper Stuyven and Dylan Van Baarle will get their maiden season with the squad underway in Portugal.
The only team to have won the overall classification of the Volta ao Algarve six times – a feat achieved with four different riders – Soudal Quick-Step will be once again present at the start of the five-day race which this year runs its 52nd edition.
It will be the first outing in the Soudal Quick-Step colors for Monument winners Jasper Stuyven and Dylan Van Baarle, who have joined the team ahead of this season, and also their only appearance before the Opening Weekend. Joining them on the start line will be one of the best sprinters in the world, Paul Magnier, who returns at the start of a stage race for the first time since last year’s Tour of Guangxi, where he scored five victories on his way to winning the points jersey.
Our squad for Portugal’s most important race will be rounded out by former Belgian Champion Yves Lampaert, Maximilian Schachmann – runner-up here in 2020 and fifth overall last year – Dries Van Gestel and neo-pro Jonathan Vervenne.
Two flat stages, the traditional uphill finishes to Alto da Foia and Alto do Malhão, and a 19.5km flat individual time trial make up the parcours of this edition, and sports director Tom Steels is confident the Wolfpack can leave its mark on it: “The route is pretty much the same as in the past. We aim for good results in the bunch sprints with Paul, but our team includes riders who can do well in the ITT while also helping out in the sprints. It’s a balanced squad and we are looking forward to our week in Portugal.”
Photo credit: ©Wout Beel
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