Julian Alaphilippe leads the team at our last race of the month.
Soudal Quick-Step returns at the start of the Czech Tour for the first time since 2015, when our squad dominated the race, taking the general classification with Petr Vakoc and a total of three stages. The country’s most important cycling race is set to take place between 25-28 July, which will make it our last outing of July.
There will be just one opportunity for the sprinters, on the opening day, which concludes in Ostrava. From there, the peloton will travel to Pustevny, a hard climb lying in the Moravian-Silesian Beskids mountain range which promises to deliver a major reshuffling of the overall standings. Twenty-four hours later, another uphill finish awaits in Dlouhé stráně, before the race comes to a conclusion in Šternberk, after the shortest stage of the week.
Soudal Quick-Step comes to the start of the 15th Czech Tour with two-time World Champion Julian Alaphilippe, Kasper Asgreen, Mattia Cattaneo, Josef Cerny – the last home rider to triumph in the general classification, back in 2017 – Antoine Huby, James Knox and Luke Lamperti, who’s had an impressive neo-pro season so far.
“The race is pretty hard, but we go to the start with a very strong team which can be in the mix every day. We’ll try to get a stage win, and if possible, do a good general classification. For Julian it will be the last race before the Olympics in Paris and he’s very motivated to put in a solid outing this week”, said sports director Wilfried Peeters.
Photo credit: ©Tim De Waele / Getty Images
