Wednesday will see The Wolfpack in action on Italian soil, at a race created in 1964.
We are back after five years at the start of the Trofeo Laigueglia, one of those typical Italian one-day races which give almost no respite and where the quick succession of hills leads to countless attacks, making things difficult to control for the peloton.
The route covers 192 kilometers along the picturesque Ligurian coast, and features a string of iconic climbs, such as Capo Mele, Capo Berta, and the Cipressa. In the final 40 kilometers, the race moves onto a local circuit made up of Colle Micheri (whose average gradient reaches 8.6%) and Capo Mele, and it’s there that the decisive attacks usually come, especially as from the top of the last climb only a short and fast downhill separates the riders from the finish.
Third at the 2021 edition, Mauri Vansevenant will be one of the four Soudal Quick-Step riders at the start, alongside Gianmarco Garofoli – who finished runner-up last week at the Giro di Sardegna – Junior Lecerf and Louis Vervaeke. They will be joined by two young and promising Belgians coming from our feeder squad, Jasper Schoofs and Viktor Soenens, who have both impressed in February, at the Volta Comunitat Valenciana.
Winning the overall classification in Sardegna gave us a lot of confidence for Trofeo Laigueglia.
“It’s a race held on a beautiful but demanding parcours, but we have riders who can do something on the many hills of the day. Regarding our two Devo guys, this will be another good experience for them, something from which they will both learn as they continue to develop”, said sports director Davide Bramati.
Photo credit: ©Szymon Gruchalski / Getty Images
