A winner of ten races so far this year, Tim Merlier leads the team this week.
Ten overall victories and two dozen stage wins – our squad’s impressive haul at the previous participations at the Belgium Tour, one of the oldest stage races in the world, which this year runs its 93rd edition.
The most successful sprinter of the season, with ten victories under his belt – six of which came at World Tour level – Tim Merlier will make his first appearance on the road there since his excellent outing at last month’s Giro d’Italia, where he captured three stage victories. Joining the two-time Belgian Champion on the start line will be 2021 Ronde van Vlaanderen winner Kasper Asgreen, neo-pros Pepijn Reinderink and Warre Vangheluwe, Josef Cerny, Martin Svrcek and Bert Van Lerberghe.
Kicking off on June 12, the Belgium Tour gets underway with a 12.6km individual time trial which will establish an initial pecking order, before giving the fast men two opportunities to shine. The sprinters will have a total of three chances at this edition, as also the final day in Brussels will be for them, but the general classification should see a cracking fight between the puncheurs and attackers on the hilly roads around Durbuy, where the peloton will tackle a total of 19 climbs.
“We have a very good and balanced team for the Belgium Tour. Tim Merlier returns to action after a successful and memorable Giro d’Italia, and he will once again rely on a solid lead-out, while Kasper can also do something nice, in the time trial but also on that hard penultimate stage. We hope for a good week and some strong results at this race”, said Soudal Quick-Step sports director Geert Van Bondt.
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