Soudal Quick-Step to Scheldeprijs

Tim Merlier headlines our squad for the sprinters’ classics.

The oldest Flemish race – first held in 1907, six years before the inaugural edition of De Ronde – Scheldeprijs is scheduled this Wednesday, when the peloton will start from Terneuzen and travel over a distance of 153 kilometers before reaching Schoten, where they will cover three 17km laps in and around the town located in the Antwerp Province.

Since 2004, Soudal Quick-Step has won Scheldeprijs six times with three different riders, and will now look to be again among the protagonists. Our squad for the 112th edition of the event will comprise Luke Lamperti, Tim Merlier, Gianni Moscon, Casper Pedersen, Bert Van Lerberghe, Warre Vangheluwe and Jordi Warlop.

“Scheldeprijs is the sprinters’ classic and we come to the start with Tim, who is the sprinter with the most victories to his name since the start of the season. We can count on a strong lead-out: Bert will be there to launch him, Luke has the skills and the speed to help in the finale, while Casper and Gianni come with the experience and power to bring our train in a good position. We also have Warre and Jordi, who can control the race, which should be quite windy. We could have some echelons in the first part, before headwind on the local laps, so it will be nervous and it remains to be seen how it will go. We have a chance of fighting for the win and we’ll do our best to get it”, said sports director Iljo Keisse.

Photo credit: ©Wout Beel