Deceuninck-QuickStep has said while there may only be four clear sprinters’ opportunities at the Tour de France, it is ready to assign top riders to help Sam Bennett get a victory.
Michael Mørkøv will be Bennett’s final, and most
important, lead-out man. But the team has said newly crowned Danish champion
Kasper Asgreen would also aid Bennett.
And while Zdenek Štybar had also been in the earmarked to
help the Irish rider in the sprints, he has been forced to withdraw with a knee
injury.
It means Rémi Cavagna has been
slotted in his role; the French rider absolutely flying at present having won
the French TT title and silver in the European TT Championships.
“In Sam, we have a
contender for the bunch sprints, which won’t be so straightforward as in the
past, the route being one of the toughest in recent memory,” said sports
director Tom Steels.
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“I think there are maximum four clear stages for sprinters spread over the three weeks,” added the former Belgian pro.
Steels was a top sprinter in his day, won nine stages in
the Tour and will be a big asset for Bennett in the team car.
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“Michael will be Sam’s last man and will guide him
through those hectic final kilometers, but also Kasper and Styby will play an important role in his lead-out
train, while at the same time keeping an eye on breakaway opportunities,”
Steels added in remarks made before Cavagna replaced Štybar
in the team.
That support is a far cry from what Bennett enjoyed at
Bora-hansgrohe, where he did not ride the Tour during the last three years.
However, Deceuninck-QuickStep also has Julian Alaphilippe
to co-lead the team with Bennett; the Frenchman who won two stages last year
and held the yellow jersey for two weeks, in two stints.
“For Julian it will be very difficult to repeat last
year’s Tour, but at the same time, it’s not necessary to do it,” Steels said.
“We will take it with him day by day and see what
happens. There are some nice opportunities for him, but I can tell you we
aren’t thinking of a scenario similar to that of the previous Tour.”
He added the other three riders in the team - Bob
Jungels, Tim Declercq, Dries Devenyns – would aid Alaphilippe.
“Bob and Dries are both riders who can support Julian,
they have a lot of experience and can help him in the finale.
“Last but not least, Tim will do what he does best:
control the race. He is a world-class domestique and has the power and
knowledge to do it.”
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