LottoNL-Jumbo have named a youthful team for the Vuelta a España containing three grand tour debutants, with Maarten Tjallingii and Maarten Wynants providing an experienced balance in the nine-rider roster. The team was forced into a late change to the squad for the Spanish grand tour after Laurens ten Dam was hit by a car, suffering a broken dorsal vertebra in the accident, which has ruled him out of racing for six weeks.
"We travel to Spain without overall ambitions because of the absence of Laurens ten Dam, which does not alter the fact that there remain plenty of challenges," sport director Merijn Zeeman explained of the new approach the team are taking. "Within our qualities, we'll be looking for opportunities. On the days that the GC men make their mark, it's going to be difficult, but with Tom Van Asbroeck, for example, we have someone for whom the team can work during the sprint stages. We'll also attack in our pursuit of success. All nine riders get the chance to make opportunities for themselves."
Tom Van Asbroeck, Timo Roosen and Mike Teunissen are the debutants for the team, with all three looking to make their mark on the race. Van Asbroeck has had several top-10 finishes in his first season with the WorldTour team and is aiming to continue his Tour de Pologne form at the Vuelta, as he explained.
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"I hope to force something on those days with the help of the team. I had a good run-up to the Vuelta. It felt good to get involved again in Poland," Van Asbroeck said, adding his third place on stage 3 was "a boost to my confidence."
Teunissen also enters the race off the back of recent good results, including his first professional victory in the Tour de l'Ain prologue.
"First I won the prologue of the Tour de l'Ain, and now I can announce that I'm going to ride the Vuelta," Teunissen said. "It's my first three-week race, but I think I can handle it. I look forward to helping Tom in the sprints and to fight for my opportunities. Unfortunately, we miss a man for the overall because of Laurens' incident, but it gives me the opportunity to focus on my personal development."
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