The 63th edition of Circuit de la Sarthe offers fast, yet versatile, terrain during the five-stage race in northwestern France. Tinkoff-Saxo aligns a team led by Manuele Boaro and Michael Valgren in an effort to claim the overall win. Having shown strong shape, Boaro looks to make the difference contre-la-montre on the short, intensive 6.8km time trial.
 
On Tuesday, April 7th, Tinkoff-Saxo will be at the start in Sablé-sur-Sarthe with a six-man squad consisting of Manuele Boaro, Michael Valgren, Jay McCarthy, Juraj Sagan, Jesper Hansen and Michael Kolar. Team sports director Nicki Sørensen remains unambiguous on Tinkoff-Saxo’s race ambitions:
 
“We will try to win the race. We believe it’s realistic with the riders we have, however, we know that the competition will be hard. We have Manuele Boaro and Michael Valgren, who are in great shape, and both of them are motivated in their attempt to create a good result. Juraj, Kolar, Hansen and McCarthy are all ready to offer their support, while a guy like McCarthy could also have a go in the bunch sprints”, says Nicki Sørensen.
 
Circuit de la Sarthe features five stages on four days with mainly fast-paced racing. However, the riders will have to tackle both hilly terrain and an explosive individual time trial. With a length of 6,8km, the TT on day 2 is almost identical to the recent fight against the clock at Criterium International, where Manuele Boaro claimed a close third place despite a broken arm pad. Nicki Sørensen notes that he looks forward to seeing Boaro return to his favorite discipline.
 
“We expect that Manuele will deliver a strong performance at the time trial, which suits him well. He is a very capable rider on short, intensive time trials and I know that he looks forward to competing. He has done well so far in 2015, and I sense that he has added another level to his performance this year”, tells Nicki Sørensen.
 
“Sharing the leading role with Manuele, we have Michael Valgren, who has had this race in the back of his head for quite some time now. For Valgren, as well as for Boaro, Circuit de la Sarthe offers the opportunity to create a personal result, and I believe that Michael has the power and the stability to do well in a race like this. A lot can happen and we will see how everything plays out, but we are ready to give it a go”.

According to Manuele Boaro, a top result Circuit de la Sarthe depends on staying focused and performing in the time trial.
 
“My condition is good and I look forward to this race. I remember that I finished second overall in 2012, so I know that it’s a race that suits me well. It’s important to stay alert during all the stages, but the time trial is really an obvious possibility to gain time. I like the time trials, especially the shorter ones and I’ve trained for this during the last period. Now, we will see how it goes, but I have a good feeling and the team is focused”, comments Manuele Boaro.
 
“I want to win and perform and it’s an important moment right now. I’m a part of this team and I will try to do all I can to create results. We haven’t had the best spring, but the level of ambition is high and the moral is equally good. I look forward to getting started”, finishes Manuele Boaro.