Orica-GreenEdge line up at Paris-Nice with the dual ambitions of supporting Michael Matthews for stage wins and Simon Yates for a high general classification finish. The Australian team has tastested success at the Race to the Sun on one previous occasion, stage four in 2013 via Michael Albasini who has also been selected for the race.
Matthews will make his 2015 debut at Paris-Nice, his first race since the world championships when he finished 14th. Last year Matthews won stages at the Giro d'Italia and Vuelta a Espana, also wearing the leader's jerseys of both grand tours, although missed the Tour de France due to injuries from a crash sustained on the eve of the race. This season Matthews' objectives are Milan-San Remo, a debut Tour appearance and the world championships in Richmond and Greenedge's sport director for the race Lorenzo Lapage acknowledged that Paris-Nice will be important stepping stone for those goals.
"When you look at the race, we don't have the fastest guy on those flat stage so we don't have to take responsibility early in the race to control," Lapage said. "It will be more important in the first three days for guys like Bling [Matthews] to get back into the racing environment again."
ADVERTISEMENT
Lapage added that several riders will therefore be free to pursue their own opportunities via breakaways in the second-half of the eight-stage race with the opening few days possibly suiting Matthews.
"Stages five and six are stages that can suit us," Lapage said. "Albasini, Simon Clarke and Jens Keukeleire, those guys will be free to go in the breakaway and if it comes together we will go for Bling.
"Those stages will suit us more to go to for the win because in my opinion the first three days will be a bunch sprint."
You can read more at Cyclingnews.com
via Cyclingnews Latest News http://ift.tt/1NjfwQg
No comments:
Post a Comment