Two hilly one-day races await the team.
The weekend brings our first outing of the season in France, at the Ardèche Classic (Saint-Péray – Guilherand-Grangesand, 165.9km) and Drôme Classic (Montoison – Etoile-sur-Rhône, 189km), two races which our team has won a combined total of five times, most recent of these victories having been brought by Julian Alaphilippe last year. The Frenchman won’t be at the start, as he’ll take on the cobbles of the Opening Weekend, but Soudal Quick-Step’s squad won’t lack options for the two hilly events.
Gil Gelders, Antoine Huby, James Knox, who played an impressive role in Remco Evenepoel’s Volta ao Algarve overall triumph, Paul Magnier – the young Frenchman who has enjoyed a sensational start in the pro ranks, winning two races at the age of 19 – Fausto Masnada, making his first appearance of the season on European soil, Pieter Serry and Louis Vervaeke are our seven men for Saturday and Sunday.
“We know these races well, as we’ve won them several times, and also this time we want to get some good results. We have an interesting mix of riders – young ones, who’ve made quite the impression in their first couple of weeks with us, but also some guys who carry a lot of experience – and they are all motivated to do their best this weekend”, said Soudal Quick-Step sports director Davide Bramati.
Photo credit: ©Dario Belingheri / Getty Images
