LottoNL-Jumbo has named its team for the inaugural three-day Tour de Yorkshire race which starts Friday. Following the success of the 2014 Tour de France grand début in Yorkshire, ASO created the 2.1 stage race to take place on the roads missed by the grand tour last year although Leeds hosts the final stage finish on Sunday.
LottoNL-Jumbo will be hoping the race proves to be a key warm up event for the Giro d'Italia for its riders taking part in the Italian grand tour early next month.
"It will be a beautiful race," LottoNL-Jumbo sports director Nico Verhoeven said. "There was a lot of attention from the press during the British stages at the start of last year's Tour the France. That resulted in the first edition of the Tour de Yorkshire this year.
"With the Giro d'Italia to come, this is a nice race for us to ride. Moreno Hofland and Steven Kruijswijk are able to put the final touches on their preparations. It's perfect, and better to race three days instead of six hard days with a strong field in the Tour de Romandie.
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LottoNL-Jumbo is the only WorldTour team still without a win to its name in 2015 and will be hoping that Moreno Hofland can open its account at the race.
"This will be one of the first races in a long time that suits me well," Hofland said. "I'm really looking forward to it. I think that there will be a big crowd on the roads. That area seems to have cycling fever.
"I will try to fight for stage victories. My form is good at the moment, but I haven't been in a bunch sprint for a while. I'm curious to see what will happen."
While Hofland will challenge for stage wins, the team is also backing several riders to impress on the general classification as Verhoeven added.
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