Etixx-QuickStep could be set for a relatively quiet three weeks in Spain with an absence of big names on their nine-man roster for the Vuelta a España.
The team has options and quality in abundance when it comes to one-day racing but is relatively thin on the ground when it comes to the three-week outings. Their only bona fide Grand Tour rider, Rigoberto Urán, has already completed the Giro d’Italia and the Tour de France this year, and a third three-week race has been deemed excessive.
Having been present in each of the past four editions of the Vuelta, where he laid foundations for three individual time trial titles at the World Championships, Tony Martin will also skip the race. The 39-kilometre chrono on stage 17 would ordinarily entice the German but he has not raced since breaking his collarbone at the Tour de France and feels that optimum Worlds preparation can be done elsewhere. The fact that this year’s event is being held in the USA just 10 days after the Vuelta's finish would seem to have something to do with it.
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That seems to be the case for Michal Kwiatkowski, whose priority will be to keep the rainbow jersey of world road race champion on his shoulders for another season, while sprinter Mark Cavendish is currently preoccupied by his return to track racing. Julian Alaphilippe, who burst onto the scene this spring with second at Liège-Bastogne-Liège and Flèche-Wallonne, was tipped for a debut Grand Tour at the Vuelta but has chosen instead to target one-day races, namely the Grand Prix de Plouay, and Grands Prix Cyclistes de Québec and de Montréal.
That leaves Etixx with a mixed bunch of riders whose focus will be getting into breakaways and grabbing opportunities if and when they arise. Gianluca Brambilla, Pieter Serry, Carlos Verona, and David De La Cruz will show interest on the climbing stages, while Niki Terpstra, Maxime Bouet, Martin Velits, Iljo Keisse and Nikolas Maes all possess the power for the flatter or undulating days.
"We have a nice team, a mix of experienced riders and young guys. Our goal is to try and be a protagonist by entering into the breakaways, and doing the best we can in any situation as the race evolves,” said directeur sportif Rik Van Slycke in a press release.
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