Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek) will as soon as once more be the main focus for Lidl-Trek on the Tour de France because the Dane eyes a stage win for the third yr in succession.
The former World Champion was the headline title introduced on the American squad’s harm and illness-affected roster, with a help squad constructed round delivering him both in dash finishes or the breakaway.
Last yr’s King of the Mountains from the Tour, Giulio Ciccone, is again on the beginning listing after a tricky bout with saddle sores firstly of the season.
The Italian will lead the climbing ambitions with out their deliberate GC chief Tao Geoghegan Hart, who missed out on the roster resulting from a fractured rib and falling ailing with COVID-19 final week.
Alongside leaders Pedersen and Ciccone, Jasper Stuyven, Carlos Verona, Ryan Gibbons, Tim Declercq, Julien Bernard and Toms Skujins will take the beginning on June 29 in Florence.
“Despite having to make some adjustments to our preliminary line-up resulting from sickness and harm, I’m extremely assured within the power of our Tour de France staff,” stated directeur sportif Steven de Jongh in a team release.
“With Tao Geoghegan Hart sadly not capable of race, we’ve got added additional help for Mads [Pedersen] to go for stage wins but additionally put collectively a staff that has a wealth of expertise and a depth of expertise in their very own proper.
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“A gaggle of riders that we all know, and have seen on limitless events each this yr and in earlier years, can work exceptionally nicely collectively.”
Ciccone arrives on the Tour off the again of a robust return to type on the Dauphiné the place he took second on stage 6 and third on stage 7 and would have completed larger than eighth total if not for a poor time trial.
“Giulio [Ciccone] has been proper on monitor after getting back from his well being points firstly of the yr and he was racing impressively at Critérium du Dauphiné, particularly on these three ultimate climbing phases,” stated De Jongh.
Gibbons shall be final man within the lead-out for the Dane, contemporary off the again of their spectacular win on stage 1 of the Critérium du Dauphiné, however they are going to be with no key a part of the prepare and shut pal to Pedersen, Alex Kirsch.
“Jasper [Stuyven] additionally is available in to switch an injured Alex [Kirsch] however we all know after his Giro d’Italia efficiency after which the best way he races in Belgium after, that he shall be a helpful asset,” stated De Jongh
A Milan-San Remo winner in Stuyven isn’t any unhealthy alternative, nonetheless, even off the again of the Giro the place he performed a help function for Jonathan Milan. And the Belgian will hope that Pedersen can repeat Milan’s success for Trek in taking three stage wins and the factors jersey in Italy.
Pedersen’s two earlier wins on the Tour have been vastly completely different, one from a three-man breakaway dash into Saint-Etienne forward of Fred Wright (Bahrain Victorious) and the opposite an uphill dash into Limoges forward of Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck).
His versatility makes him a robust choice for plenty of phases and after successful a stage at his earlier 4 Grand Tour appearances, that shall be a report he needs to maintain up.