Marcel Kittel, who had to abandon the Tour de France just four days from Paris while wearing the green jersey, will return to competition at the BinckBank Tour, where the 29-year-old German – winner of 14 races this season – will be one of the riders to watch for in the stages to Venray, Ardooie and Lanaken, all expected to conclude in a bunch sprint.
The German sprinter struggled during the final week of the Tour as he suffered stomach problems. He then abandoned on the seventeenth stage after crashing and losing skin on his shoulders, back, elbow and hip. After crashing, he found pedalling too painful and pulled out on the Col de la Croix de Fer.
Kittel’s Quick-Step Floors Team also includes Belgian Phillipe Gilbert. Runner-up six years ago and a double stage victor, Gilbert will hope to rekindle the form that carried him to five wins – including Ronde van Vlaanderen and Amstel Gold Race – in the first part of the season, on the familiar roads which have witnessed some of his biggest career triumphs.
The Quick-Step Floors team for the 29th World Tour event of 2017 also includes Dries Devenyns, Iljo Keisse, Dwars door Vlaanderen victor Yves Lampaert, Maximiliano Richeze, defending champion Niki Terpstra – who has recently made his comeback, at the Tour de Pologne – and Petr Vakoc.
“Our first goal is a stage victory. We come here with strong riders, who can do well regardless of the terrain and are capable of getting a win, so that will be our main focus. Of course, we’d like to do also a good GC, but we’ll take it day by day, see how the guys are feeling and how the race unfolds”, said sport director Tom Steels.
“The parcours is more or less similar to the one of the past editions. We don’t believe the individual time trial will have any serious impact on the race, which will heat up in the last three days, when we’ll witness a natural selection. The battle for the overall victory should be a tight one, with the final stage to Geraardsbergen very likely to be decisive”, concluded Steels.
Quick-Step Floors team for Binck Bank Tour (2.UWT)
Dries Devenyns (BEL)
Philippe Gilbert (BEL)
Iljo Keisse (BEL)
Marcel Kittel (GER)
Yves Lampaert (BEL)
Maximiliano Richeze (ARG)
Niki Terpstra (NED)
Petr Vakoc (CZE)
