Kasper Asgreen headlines our line-up for the second Monument of the season
The only team in the modern era to have won Ronde van Vlaanderen eight times, Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl will travel to the start of the 106th edition with a squad led by none other than the defending champion Kasper Asgreen, who last year took the victory in spectacular fashion.
Third at Strade Bianche earlier this season and a solid performer last week at E3 Harelbeke, Kasper will wear bib number one in Antwerp, where he will have around him a strong team that is set to include also Tim Declercq, Yves Lampaert, Florian Sénéchal, Jannik Steimle – who’ll get to ride a Monument for the first time in his career – Zdenek Stybar and Bert Van Lerberghe.
One of the longest and toughest one-day races of the whole year, Ronde van Vlaanderen will feature 18 climbs, including the Molenberg, Koppenberg and its viciously steep gradients which have a history of putting many riders into difficulty, Taaianberg, Oude Kwaremont and Paterberg. The last two will be tackled in quick succession in the last 25 kilometers, from the top of the Paterberg – which averages an insane 12.3% over just 360 meters – only 13 kilometers separating the riders from the finish in Oudenaarde.
“De Ronde is one of the best races in the world, but at the same time, one of the toughest. Looking over the course there aren’t that many changes, so we know what to expect. The difference is, of course, the team that is not on full strength, with all the sickness that has struck us. But despite this, we have the belief that on Sunday we will play a part in the race.”
“Kasper showed he’s one of the best out there at the moment. We have Florian and Jannik, who also proved they are ready, even though Florian had a lot of bad luck in the past races. Tim, Yves, Zdenek and Bert know the parcours, they are experienced, so even with some condition they can handle the course and do something good. Of course, it goes without saying that we aren’t the big favourites for this race. We will have to ride smart to get a good result, but that doesn’t mean we aren’t confident”, said Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl sports director Tom Steels.
Photo credit: ©Jered Gruber
