Our first appointment of the month will see us race on home turf this weekend.
The Belgian one-day race once again takes place on the first Saturday of June, when the peloton will line up in Vosselaar, where they will complete a local circuit and then head to Heist-op-den-Berg for six laps that should favour the attackers thanks to the presence of the short and sharp Heistse Berg climb. On paper, the sprinters will also hold a chance of fighting for victory, but it will all depend on how the final laps of this 15th edition will be raced.
Having completed the Giro d’Italia last weekend, Davide Ballerini and Mark Cavendish will pin on again a number this Saturday, as both will be part of a strong Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl team comprising also Iljo Keisse, Stijn Steels, Stan Van Tricht, Ethan Vernon and Louis Vervaeke.
“I trained on these roads for 13 years, so I can tell you that both scenarios are possible – sprint or breakaway. This race is a bit like Scheldeprijs meets Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne, so there should be plenty of action. We go to the start of Heistse Pijl with a motivated squad that wants to be in the mix at the end and fight for a good result”, said sports director Brian Holm.
Photo credit: ©Tim De Waele / Getty Images
Louis Vervaeke 