A young squad will be at the start of the event scheduled to take place between 23-26 August.
Back on the international calendar after a decade-long break, the Deutschland Tour returns this week to the joy of riders and fans, all eager to discover the revived race which in the past used to be an important fixture of the season. Returning as a four-day event, the Deutschland Tour will start from Koblenz – a host city at the 1992 Tour de France – with a stage at the end of which, in Bonn, the sprinters will fight for the honor of wearing the first leader's jersey.
On Thursday, the peloton will head into a terrain that will give little respite over the following three days, which will feature a string of short and steep climbs that will come in quick succession, on the twisty roads taking the riders to Trier – the oldest German city, founded more than two millennia ago – former Carolingian Empire town Merzig, and Stuttgart, home to two editions of the World Championships (1991 and 2007).
With three victories to his name, Alvaro Hodeg is one of the most successful neo-pros of the season, and the young Colombian will be hoping to carry the form displayed on the Tour de Pologne into this race, where Maximilian Schachmann – whose fourth place overall last week at the BinckBank Tour boosted his confidence – will have an eye on the general classification. Also making the strong Quick-Step Floors roster for the event taking place between 23-26 August will be Rémi Cavagna, Iljo Keisse, and two other neo-pros, James Knox and Jhonatan Narvaez.
Sports director Davide Bramati, who rode the Deutschland Tour during his pro days, shared his thoughts on the return of the race and the team going there: "It's good and well-deserved for all the German fans and current generation of talented and strong German riders to have the Deutschland Tour back on the calendar after ten years of absence. We are happy to start with a young team, who we hope can be part of shaping this newly-launched tour. Many sprinters, especially the German ones, will be motivated for the first stage, but Alvaro Hodeg – despite being young and a neo-pro – proved that he can beat the fastest guys, so we put our trust him."
"On the following three stages, we will do our best and try to be up there, in the thick of the action, when things will get really interesting. Max Schachmann comes out of a good BinckBank Tour, where he impressed on the climbs, so if he can continue where he left off, it will be exciting to see where that can take him in the general classification", concluded Davide Bramati.
Photo credit: ©Tim De Waele/ Getty Images
James Knox 
