Giant-Alpecin have announced their long-list of riders for the Tour de France with both Tom Dumoulin and John Degenkolb included.
The two riders have both suffered difficulties this season. In January of this year, Degenkolb was one of six Team Giant–Alpecin riders who were hit by a car which while training in Calpe, Spain.
Degenkolb suffered cuts to the thigh, forearm and his lips, as well as coming close to losing his left index finger. He was treated in Valencia and Hamburg and missed out on the spring classics and made his comeback at the end of April.
Dumoulin meanwhile was forced out of the Giro d’Italia earlier this month due to a saddle sore having led the race for a time.
The team have stated that their overall objective is to win a stage. They stated that “the team will also focus on the development of the whole squad through the experience gained by the riders during this year’s Tour.”
The 103rd edition of Le Grande Boucle returns home for the start in the city of Mont-Saint-Michel, the first-ever Grand Départ in the region of Normandy, and it is an opportunity for the sprinters to wear the coveted maillot jaune. The Tour de France will run from Saturday, July 2, to Sunday, July 24, and will cover 3,519km.
“We go to the Tour de France with the aim of winning a stage, and our long-list for this year’s Tour should provide opportunities to achieve this result,” said coach Adriaan Helmantel.
“In terms of preparation, we have done video recons of eight stages. This footage will be analysed and used to prepare the guys and determine our tactics. In addition, some riders will train at an altitude training camp in Sierra Nevada, Spain, to build up their fitness levels. Finally, the last key races for the team before the Tour de France will be the Critérium du Dauphiné, Tour de Suisse and Ster ZLM Toer.”
Giant-Alpecin Tour de France Long-List
Nikias Arndt (GER)
Warren Barguil (FRA)
Roy Curvers (NED)
John Degenkolb (GER)
Koen de Kort (NED)
Tom Dumoulin (NED)
Johannes Fröhlinger (GER)
Simon Geschke (GER)
Tobias Ludvigsson (SWE)
Georg Preidler (AUT)
Ramon Sinkeldam (NED)
Laurens ten Dam (NED)
Albert Timmer (NED)
Zico Waeytens (BEL)
