Wanty-Groupe Gobert will take part in Tour de France for the second time this summer, with the race starting in Vendée on Saturday 7th of July.
The Belgian team has announced a longlist of twelve riders to form their team selection for the 105th edition of Le Tour and five of them are already certain of their selection: Thomas Degand, Guillaume Martin, Marco Minnaard, Yoann Offredo and Andrea Pasqualon.
The other riders on the longlist are Frederik Backaert, Timothy Dupont, Odd Eiking, Xandro Meurisse, Dion Smith, Pieter Vanspeybrouck and Guillaume Van Keirsbulck. The final eight-rider squad selection will be announced after the Belgian Championships.
“Five riders are already certain of their participation in Le Tour,” said Team Manager Hilaire Van der Schueren. “Our ambitions are more or less similar to those of last year. Guillaume Martin is our leader and deserves to be well supported, hence the choice for Thomas Degand and Marco Minnaard. Andrea Pasqualon is currently leading the UCI Europe Tour and has won four races over the recent weeks. He deserves to be there, just like Yoann Offredo. Last year, Yoann showed its versatility and utility for the team in our debut. The last three riders will be named after the Belgian Championships, which takes place in Binche on Sunday.”
Preselection Wanty-Groupe Gobert Tour de France:
Frederik Backaert
Thomas Degand (*)
Timothy Dupont
Odd Eiking
Guillaume Martin (*)
Xandro Meurisse
Marco Minnaard (*)
Yoann Offredo (*)
Andrea Pasqualon (*)
Dion Smith
Pieter Vanspeybrouck
Guillaume Van Keirsbulck
(*) riders who are certain of their Tour selection
