Kasper Asgreen and Tim Merlier will be in action at the five-day race.
Two days for the sprinters, two hilly stages – one of which will once again feature the iconic Muur-Kapelmuur – and a flat 13.6km individual time trial around Sluis will make up the route of the 19th Renewi Tour, which returns this summer after a one-year hiatus.
The event, where our team counts two overall triumphs and 18 stage victories, is the season’s 29th stop on the World Tour calendar, and Soudal Quick-Step will come to the start with a strong and very motivated squad. Tour de France stage winner Kasper Asgreen, Tim Declercq, Yves Lampaert, Tim Merlier – who has amassed eight wins since joining our team at the beginning of the year – Florian Sénéchal, Bert Van Lerberghe and Stan Van Tricht are the seven riders who will tackle the race taking place between 23-27 August.
“This year, the parcours is a bit different than what we had in the past. Just five stages now, but without a really hard day in the Ardennes, which changes the complexity of the race. With the stage to Geraardsbergen and the short time trial, we can say that the route suits many of our riders, not just Kasper, who will be our main card for the general classification. In the sprints, we’ll once again look to Tim Merlier, who’s had a very impressive year so far, and with the help of Bert and Florian, will try to fight for victory here”, explained sports director Tom Steels.
Photo credit: ©Tim De Waele / Getty Images
