World Champion Julian Alaphilippe will continue his Classics campaign this Wednesday
Brabantse Pijl runs this year its 60th edition and the race will once again take place between Leuven and Overijse, over 197.2 kilometers punctuated by 24 hills, including the Hertstraat, Holstheide and Schavei, the last of these being topped just 200 meters from the finish line. In the past ten years, on seven occasions the winner came from a small group, but the roller coaster route of the Belgian classic can also play into the favour of a lone attacker ready to go all-in before the last hill of the day.
Julian Alaphilippe will headline Deceuninck – Quick-Step’s squad for Wednesday’s race, with Dries Devenyns, Ian Garrison, Zdenek Stybar and neo-pros Andrea Bagioli, Jannik Steimle and Mauri Vansevenant set to join the World Champion at his fifth presence in Brabantse Pijl.
“Brabantse Pijl is a nice race with a lot of climbs, many of which are crammed in the final circuit, where there’s going to be plenty of action. Our team, as you can see, is a strong one, comprising many guys capable of supporting Julian, but he’s not the only rider from our squad who can feature in the final. The race boasts a deep field at the start, but we are going there with confidence and a lot of motivation to show ourselves and get a good result”, said Deceuninck – Quick-Step sports director Wilfried Peeters.
