The Grand Départ returns to France this year with a start in Lille just under one week away, as Team Picnic PostNL today announce their eight-rider roster that is set to take on the wide variety of parcours on offer over the three weeks as they hunt stage success.
The opening stage looks set to give the sprinters a chance to wear the coveted Maillot Jaune, while the second day of racing could already see some GC action over the steep and punchy climbs into Boulogne-sur-Mer. This pattern continues in the first week with sprint opportunities and days that look perfect for the puncheurs of the peloton; although everyone will need to be wary on the exposed farm roads if the wind blows more than what’s normal in July. In an unusual turn of events, there are ten stages in a row before the first rest day, in this year’s edition of the race due to 14th of July festivities; with that opening “week” ending with a bang that includes 4500 metres of climbing.
The truncated week two sees a bit of everything with a few potential sprints, two summit finishes and a tough mountain time trial to Peyragudes. Week three gets underway with a Tour de France classic climb and a summit finish to Mont Ventoux, before an opportunity for the sprinters in Valence. The GC battle will be decided with two brutally tough back-to-back mountain stages where the peloton will be met with two days over 4500 metres of ascent. An opportunistic stage 20 follows, before the finish on the Champs-Élysées rounds out the race; but with three passages of the Montmarte, it is yet to be seen whether the normal procession will take place.
Looking to replicate their strong showing at the Giro d’Italia, Team Picnic PostNL head to the Tour de France with confidence after good recent performances; ready to show their colours at the head of the race over three weeks.
Team Picnic PostNL coach Matt Winston explained: “We head to the Tour de France with some great memories from last year’s campaign. We have a squad that has shown in recent races that they are performing well together as a group and picking up some really solid results along the way – so start the race with confidence. Our main goal for the race will be to hunt for stage success. Oscar showed recently at the Tour de Suisse that he is in great shape with some top results, so he will be one of our main finishing cards to play for the hilly and mountainous days. For those more rolling and intermediate type stages, Warren and Frank came out of Tour de Suisse in good shape too, so they provide us options there. In the faster finales we have two good options in both Tobias and Pavel, who with the support we have here, can be in the mix on different types of stages. Overall, we will take each stage as it comes and look for the opportunities that might suit us best over the course of the three weeks. If we continue to work well as a team, commit to each other and our objectives, then I am confident that we can contest for good results throughout the race, and hold our heads high as we cross the line in Paris.”