Julian Alaphilippe headlines the six-man squad for this week’s event.
Our final outing of the season in a stage race, the Tour de Luxembourg will once again be a hilly affair, offering plenty of opportunities to both the puncheurs and the attackers. Two uphill finishes and plenty of short but steep climbs spread out over five days of racing, together with a 23.9km undulating individual time trial on the penultimate stage – these are the main ingredients of what promises to be an exciting 83rd edition.
Having impressed two weeks ago in Canada, where he produced two solid displays in the one-day races held in Quebec and Montreal, Julian Alaphilippe is ready to pin on a number again and lead the charge for Soudal Quick-Step at the five-day event. The Frenchman will be joined by Andrea Bagioli – a stage winner last week in Okolo Slovenska – Dries Devenyns, Fausto Masnada, Deutschland Tour winner Ilan Van Wilder, and Mauri Vansevenant, who recently extended his contract with the team for three years.
“The Tour de Luxembourg comes with a challenging terrain, which isn’t a surprise, and stages for all kinds of riders. We have a very strong and motivated team for this race and we will try to go for a stage victory, but we’ll wait for the individual time trial on Saturday to see what is possible to do in the general classification”, explained sports director Wilfried Peeters.
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