Defending champion Iljo Keisse and Fernando Gaviria headline our line-up for tomorrow's race.
Scheduled on Tuesday afternoon, the 86th edition of Textielprijs Vichte – one of the last races before the World Championships – will provide the platform for a fast, frantic and spectacular race, which will await the riders with a 12.5-km long circuit that will be covered 14 times for a total of 175 kilometers, and at the end of which the sprinters are favourites to come out on top, that is if the race won't be split to pieces as a result of the various attacks that are sure to be launched by those trying to avoid a bunch gallop.
Having amassed last week six victories which took the team's season tally to a whooping 67 wins, Quick-Step Floors will look to continue its impressive run of results on home turf this time, in a race where Iljo Keisse triumphed last year following a canny attack inside the last kilometer.
The reigning champion – victorious here also in 2007 and 2008 – will be joined by countryman Tim Declercq, multiple Grand Tour stage winner Fernando Gaviria, Maximiliano Richeze, Florian Sénéchal, as well as the team's stagiaires, Mikkel Honoré and Barnabás Peák, who will make their third outing in the Quick-Step Floors jersey.
"We are fielding a strong team and we would like to repeat last year' success, but winning a kermesse isn't easy, because this kind of race has a lot of attacks and it's difficult to read, as every moment can be the right one, which is why the winner is often a clever rider or a very strong one. Our team has several cards to play and this gives us confidence that we can take a good result at the end of the day", said sports director Rik van Slycke.
Photo credit: ©Tim De Waele/ Getty Images
