Tinkoff-Saxo is set for the Dutch-Belgian stage race Eneco Tour, where the squad aims to follow up on the latest success at Tour of Denmark. Although the GC captain will be found during the race, it is fixed that the team will aim for stage wins with in-shape rider Matti Breschel. 

Eneco Tour presents Tinkoff-Saxo with 1129 kilometers in versatile terrain. Patxi Vila, team sports director, asserts that multiple stages suit Matti Breschel, while the GC captain will be decided during the first half of the race.

“There’s no doubt that Matti is in good shape. We saw that in Tour of Denmark, where he snatched two stage wins and the sprinter’s jersey. For sure, he will be fighting for the stage wins and there are many stages that suit him. We will support him and try to assist him in the finales. We have several proper sprinters stages and there he will be up against some fast guys. But days like stage 5, 6 and 7 resemble races like Amstel, Liege and Flanders – just in lighter versions”, assesses Patxi Vila before adding:

“We will have to see in terms of, who our GC rider will be. Three guys are coming straight from Tour of Denmark and they are in good shape. Michael Rogers and Manuele Boaro can do a very good time trial and Boaro has shown before that he is a specialist on this kind of intensive time trial. It’s 14 kilometers but it will be one of the decisive days. Rogers could be an option - we will have to see how he is after a hard Tour de France. We also know that Boaro is climbing pretty well, which will be important, as the last three stages feature a lot of altitude meters”.

Tinkoff-Saxo lines up Michael Rogers, Matti Breschel, Manuele Boaro, Michael Valgren, Nikolay Trusov, Chris Juul-Jensen, Pavel Brutt and Evgeny Petrov.

Having followed the convincing team performance at Tour of Denmark, Patxi Vila notes that team heads into Eneco Tour focused on carrying on the momentum.

“The atmosphere on the team is good and determined. The guys are dedicated and it is always important to get good results like we’ve had during the last week. But it’s just as important to follow up on a good streak. I’m amazed by the team performance at Tour of Denmark. After a slow beginning to the season in the early spring, we have been getting back on track since May. We will try to distribute this latest success throughout the team, however Eneco Tour is a difficult race against a strong competition”, says Vila before finishing:

“We could face crosswind on the first stages and we will have to stay very attentive here. We’re into the second part of the season and a lot of riders will be looking to grab a win or a good result. It will definitely not be easy but we will try our very best”.