CyclingQuotes.com uses cookies for statistics and targeting ads. This information is shared with third parties.
ACCEPT COOKIES » MORE INFO »

Every day we bring you more pro-cycling news

"Rafa was our GC rider for Switzerland, so it’s such a shame that he can’t start. No we go to Switzerland without aiming for GC. Our goal is to win a stage, we have several options."

Photo: A.S.O.

JELLE VANENDERT

RIDER PROFILE
|
NEWS

JELLE WALLAYS

RIDER PROFILE
|
NEWS

JURGEN ROELANDTS

RIDER PROFILE
|
NEWS

LOTTO-DSTNY

TEAM PROFILE
|
NEWS

PIM LIGTHART

RIDER PROFILE
|
NEWS

RAFAEL VALLS

RIDER PROFILE
|
NEWS

SANDER ARMEE

RIDER PROFILE
|
NEWS

TIESJ BENOOT

RIDER PROFILE
|
NEWS

TIM WELLENS

RIDER PROFILE
|
NEWS

TOSH VAN DER SANDE

RIDER PROFILE
|
NEWS

TOUR DE SUISSE

RACE PROFILE
|
NEWS
09.06.2016 @ 16:06 Posted by Emil Axelgaard

The day after tomorrow, Lotto Soudal will be at the start of the nine-day stage race Tour de Suisse.

 

 

Rafael Valls would normally have been selected for the Tour de Suisse, but because of a shoulder injury it’s impossible for him to start. Sports director Frederik Willems gives more info about the selection and tells what he expects of the riders.

 

“At the moment Rafael Valls is training on the rollers, but racing isn’t possible. At the end of the month he might take part in the Spanish Championships and in July he will ride the Tour de Pologne. Rafa was our GC rider for Switzerland, so it’s such a shame that he can’t start. No we go to Switzerland without aiming for GC. Our goal is to win a stage, we have several options," he said.

 

“There are a few opportunities for the sprinters and in those stages Jürgen Roelandts or Tosh Van der Sande will be our man. Recently Tosh set again some good results in sprints on a tough course. Also Jürgen has the capacities to do well in the kind of sprints that we can expect in Switzerland. Pim Ligthart can help with the sprint preparations.

 

“Last year, Tiesj Benoot rode the Dauphiné, but now he chose the Tour de Suisse. He did very well in the Dauphiné, he performed well in some of the mountain stages last year. When you take a look at the stages in Switzerland there should be more opportunities for him in this race. In the second stage, which consists of four laps, it’s possible that the teams wait for a long time to try something. When the battle starts Tiesj is the right man to jump along. He always races attentively and feels when it’s the right moment to attack.

 

"Jelle Wallays is a man from our Classics core as well. After a crash in the Volta ao Algarve it was difficult for him to get back on track. It’s his first year in a WorldTour team and we want to let him experience a big one-week stage race, which is a preparation for the Tour for many.

 

“For the mountain stages Sander Armée, Jelle Vanendert and Tim Wellens are our leaders. Sander could join an early breakaway and see how far it goes. It’s also good for him to show him at this level, like he did at the Tour de Romandie. No doubt, Tim will also want to show himself in the mountains. He could achieve a good result by joining a breakaway or, like in the Giro, by attacking in the finale. Also for Jelle Vanendert there are some opportunities. He was still strong at the end of the Giro, so that’s a good sign."

 

Jelle Vanendert said: 

 

“It was a fantastic Giro as our team won four stages, which is a rare performance in a Grand Tour. The fact that we all contributed to the success is wonderful. In the stages that André won, I started pulling at the head of the peloton quite early in the race to make sure the escapees stayed close. We all made sure that André could get to the sprint in the best possible conditions. What the victory of Tim Wellens is concerned, it is beautiful to see how a young rider becomes a team leader more and more and is always achieving bigger victories.

 

"Nonetheless, it was a hard Giro, at the end I was tired from all the efforts. I had also participated in the Walloon Classics, so I had been riding at the highest level for a long time. Still, I felt like I had survived the Giro quite well. In the past two weeks I took a lot of rest to get ready for what’s coming. The season is still long and there are several races I like such as the Belgian Championships, Tour de Wallonie, San Sebastián, the Canadian races and Lombardia.

 

“At the moment I don’t know what to expect of the Tour de Suisse. It could be that all runs smoothly right from the start, but it could also be that I need a few days to adjust to the race rhythm. But there are definitely some opportunities for a rider like me. In the real mountain stages of course, but also in the other stages a small group could ride to the finish. I could take my chance on the climbs in those finales.”

 

Line-up Lotto Soudal:

Sander Armée, Tiesj Benoot, Pim Ligthart, Jürgen Roelandts, Tosh Van der Sande, Jelle Vanendert, Jelle Wallays and Tim Wellens.

MORE NEWS:

VIEW SELECTED

Bycykling 101: Navigering i byens gader og cykelvenlige... 27.11.2023 @ 12:11The Best Danish Cyclist To Bet On At 2022 Tour De France 13.01.2022 @ 15:262022 Upcoming Tournament Overview 03.01.2022 @ 09:45Best Place to Find Stand-Up Paddleboards 16.06.2021 @ 08:16What are Primoz Roglic’s Chances to Win 2021 Tour de Fr... 17.03.2021 @ 08:37Amazing victory by young champion Sarah Gigante 04.02.2021 @ 14:21Three reasons why cycling is one of the best ways to ex... 28.09.2020 @ 12:03Why do businesses use meeting room managers? 14.09.2020 @ 13:42Five things that you can do, if you want to gain more f... 20.08.2020 @ 15:38One for the road 09.06.2020 @ 15:25List of CyclingQuotes previews 07.05.2020 @ 13:20Blue Energy: room for all interests 26.08.2019 @ 12:56Get your daily dose of exercise at home 08.07.2019 @ 10:443 good advice to be able to afford your favorite bike 25.02.2019 @ 12:32Cycle through gorgeous landscapes 22.10.2018 @ 21:41Balance Your Economy and Diet and Start Saving Money 08.10.2018 @ 11:18Stay Safe: 3 Helmets That Can Keep Your Head Protected... 20.07.2018 @ 07:59Planning to bet on Tour De France - Bet types and strat... 24.05.2018 @ 14:18Basics of cycling betting 25.10.2017 @ 13:10Bauer moves to ORICA-SCOTT 28.08.2017 @ 10:45End of the road for CyclingQuotes 08.01.2017 @ 16:00Rui Costa confirms Giro participation 07.01.2017 @ 12:55Van Avermaet: I am not afraid of Sagan 07.01.2017 @ 09:45Unchanged course for E3 Harelbeke 07.01.2017 @ 09:32Jenner takes surprise win at Australian U23 Championships 07.01.2017 @ 08:53No replacement for Meersman at Fortuneo-Vital Concept 06.01.2017 @ 19:14Barguil with two goals in 2017 06.01.2017 @ 19:06More details about French Vuelta start emerges 06.01.2017 @ 14:16Kristoff to start season at Etoile de Besseges 06.01.2017 @ 14:10Ion Izagirre announces schedule for first year at Bahrain 06.01.2017 @ 12:40JLT Condor optimistic for Herald Sun Tour 06.01.2017 @ 09:19Haas leads Dimension Data trio in fight for Australian... 06.01.2017 @ 09:15Sagan spearheads Bora-hansgrohe at Tour Down Under 06.01.2017 @ 09:12Henao and Thomas lead Sky Down Under 06.01.2017 @ 09:09Bauer crowned New Zealand TT champion 06.01.2017 @ 08:33Van der Poel ready to defend Dutch title 05.01.2017 @ 21:00Pantano ambitious for first Tour with Trek 05.01.2017 @ 20:41Landa with new approach to the Giro 05.01.2017 @ 20:36Sunweb Development Team sign Goos and Zepuntke 05.01.2017 @ 20:27Dumoulin confirms Giro participation 05.01.2017 @ 20:19Bauer targets victories in Quick-Step debut 05.01.2017 @ 20:16Gaviria and Boonen lead Quick-Step in San Juan 05.01.2017 @ 20:13Team Sunweb presented in Germany 05.01.2017 @ 20:09ASO take over major German WorldTour race 05.01.2017 @ 11:01Team Sunweb unveil new jersey 05.01.2017 @ 10:54Reactions from the Australian TT Championships 05.01.2017 @ 08:27Dennis defends Australian TT title 05.01.2017 @ 08:21Scotson takes back to back U23 TT titles in Australia 05.01.2017 @ 08:15Utrecht on track to host 2020 Vuelta 04.01.2017 @ 18:28Pre-season setback for Talansky 04.01.2017 @ 17:56Kristoff: It's not impossible for me to win in Rou... 04.01.2017 @ 17:49Boom close to first cyclo-cross win in LottoNL debut 04.01.2017 @ 17:40UAE Abu Dhabi make late signing of Arab rider 04.01.2017 @ 17:36UAE Abu Dhabi unveil new jersey 04.01.2017 @ 17:30BMC unveil race schedule 04.01.2017 @ 17:21

Currently no news in this list

Winston DAVID
37 years | today
Amr MAHMOUD
38 years | today
Joshua DILLON
46 years | today
Nikita RAZUMOV
28 years | today
Robin BLEUS
29 years | today

© CyclingQuotes.com