One of the most important stage races of the spring for U23 riders starts this week.
Created in 1967, and formerly known as the Ruban Granitier Breton, the Tour de Bretagne schedules its 58th edition between 25 April-1 May, when 23 squads will be at the start in Hirel. Among them, Soudal Quick-Step Devo Team, who will try to be among the protagonists on the rugged territory of northern France.
The race gets underway with a flat stage featuring a few early climbs, but the main obstacle of the day will be the wind, which could play an important role on the exposed roads of the final circuit. An uphill drag in Le Cambout one day later favours a powerful sprint, before the selective finale that comes at the end of stage three, the longest of the week. On Monday, the hilly circuit round Landévant has the potential to bring some changes to the GC, before another day where the wind is expected to wreak havoc. The steep uphill finish in Le Pertre and the demanding up-and-down stage ending in Plancoët promise to be decisive in the fight for the overall ranking.
Soudal Quick-Step Devo Team goes to the start of the Tour de Bretagne with a strong and versatile six-man team consisting of Renato Favero, Thomas Pesenti – a top ten finisher just a couple of weeks ago at the Circuit des Ardennes – last year’s Piccolo Lombardia runner-up Federico Savino, Jasper Schoofs, Erazem Valjavec and Lars Vanden Heede, the winner of the Provinciaal Kampioenschap Oost-Vlaanderen ITT.
“Tour Tour de Bretagne is one of the key appointments for the Devo Team. This race is known for its relentless wind, narrow roads and short and punchy climbs. We’re bringing to the start a well-balanced squad capable of being in the mix on this terrain. With no pure sprinter in our line-up, we’ll rely on Lars for the fast finishes, while the rest of the guys will try to shine in the breakaways and try to go for a good general classification”, said sports director Kevin Hulsmans.
Photo credit: ©Dario Belingheri / Getty Images
