Valentin Paret-Peintre will race in front of his home fans for the first time this year.
The first weekend of March brings not just the season’s inaugural cobbled Classics, but also two hilly French races which our team has won several times in the past couple of years. Scheduled on Saturday and Sunday, respectively, the Ardèche Classic (Saint-Péray – Guilherand-Grangesand, 165.9km) and Drôme Classic (Montoison – Etoile-sur-Rhône, 189km), put on the table hilly courses that will be to the liking of both puncheurs and climbers, who won’t lack opportunities to make the difference.
Gianmarco Garofoli, Junior Lecerf – who finished an impressive eighth overall at the UAE Tour last week – Tour of Oman runner-up Valentin Paret-Peintre, Pieter Serry, Ilan Van Wilder, Louis Vervaeke, who earlier this month took his first pro victory in the Middle East, and Devo Team’s Jonathan Vervenne are the seven Soudal Quick-Step riders who will pin on a number in the weekend.
“This year’s European Championships take place on the roads of Drôme-Ardèche, so I’m sure that for many riders this will be a good occasion to race in this region. We know these races from the previous years and they are demanding but at the same time beautiful. The team we are traveling with at the start is a strong and motivated one. For Valentin, this will be his first time there, but he won’t be our only option in our pursuit of a good result, and knowing that we have more cards to play makes us confident for Saturday and Sunday”, said sports director Davide Bramati, who will lead the team from the car at the two French one-day races.
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