Etixx - Quick-Step has announced the selection that will participate in Eneco Tour, a seven stage race of 1126.9km in total distance from August 10th until the 16th of August.
Eneco Tour has a little bit of everything for the classics riders of the peloton: Winds, hills, and of course the cobbles. The first three stages may look simple on paper due to the flat profiles, but strong winds could play a role in all of them. Stage 4, a 13.9km ITT in Hoogerheide, could be crucial for the GC contenders of the race.
The big GC actions of Eneco Tour might be saved until the 179.6km 5th Stage. There are 23 climbs in total to ascend from Riemst to Sittard-Geleen, with several of the climbs having featured in Amstel Gold Race. There is a two-lap finishing circuit of 22.4km each lap. The 6th stage, 208.6km from Heerlen to Houffalize, is another up-and-down affair, as the peloton will pass 18 climbs.
The 188.6km 7th and final stage, from Sint-Pieters-Leeuw to Geraardsbergen, is where the cobbled climbs come into play. These cobbled ascents include the famous Muur van Geraardsbergen, which once was included in Ronde van Vlaanderen. The riders will climb it once as part of a finishing circuit, and the race concludes halfway to the summit on the second ascent.
"Eneco Tour is as usual a quite challenging race," Sport Director Wilfried Peeters said. "The first few days in Holland could be an immediate factor, it depends on the weather conditions. But of course, the time trial will better define the riders for the general classification. The real battle for the GC will be in the last few days in the Ardennes. The last days are always complicated and difficult, but we have a good team and for sure we will try to go for a stage victory. We will try to do well in the time trial, then see where we are in the GC, and make a strategy to try to get the best out of this race that in the past gave us good results and victories."