Fabio Jakobsen headlines our team for Wednesday’s one-day race.
The 80th edition of the Eurométropole Tour will see the bunch start from La Louvière and ride 100 kilometers before reaching Tournai, where they will cover a 15km circuit five times. There, a hilly part will present to those hoping to prevent the race from coming down to a bunch sprint with the launchpad they need in order to jump clear from the peloton. With the road flattening out in the last three kilometers of the circuit, the chasers will have an opportunity, albeit a small one, to make up ground and bring everything back together before the flamme rouge.
One of the stand-out riders of the Vuelta a España, where he took three stages and the points jersey, Fabio Jakobsen will be back in action ten day after scoring his sixth victory of the season, at Gooikse Pijl. The Dutchman will be joined on Deceuninck – Quick-Step’s squad by Dries Devenyns, Iljo Keisse, Stijn Steels, Jannik Steimle, Bert Van Lerberghe and Stan Van Tricht, who won Gullegem Koerse since joining us as stagiaire.
“It’s a traditional but selective parcours with the Mont-Saint-Aubert in Doornik. The weather could also play a role, as some roads are exposed to the wind, which has the potential to split the peloton. There’s a big possibility to have a hard race, meaning that only the strongest riders will fight for victory. We have a solid team and a lot of confidence, and we hope to get a good result at the end of the day”, said sports director Rik Van Slycke.
Bert Van Lerberghe