OPQS has announced the selection that will participate in French races Classic Sud Ardèche and La Drôme Classic, which take place on March 1st and March 2nd. OPQS rider Gianni Meersman returns to 200km Classic Sud-Ardèche after placing 6th in the 2013 edition. There are about 11 climbs to conquer in the race. The 197km La Drôme Classic features nine punchy ascents, meaning the all-rounders will be favored for such a parcours.
"Most of the guys who will take part in this race came from a training camp that the team organized in Algarve last week," Sport Director Davide Bramati said. "Also, Michal Golas was one of the strong riders in support of Michal Kwiatkowski at Volta ao Algarve last week. Carlos Verona and Jan Bakelants are coming to this race after a training period in Spain. For Bakelants it will be a return to competition for the first time since Tour Down Under. Then we have Gianni Meersman, who was 6th last year at Classic Sud-Ardèche. He is motivated from his victory at Trofeo Platja de Muro not long ago. It was the earliest he won a race in his career. We have a good team ready for the short and steep climbs, who are ready for any race scenario, and we will do our best for good results in this pair of French races."