Stijn Vandenbergh hasn’t competed in a Grand Tour since 2010 and he’s only ever finished one three-week race in his entire career, but the 33-year-old Classics specialist is in contention for a place on Romain Bardet’s Tour de France team.
Why, when teams are being cut from nine riders to eight, would AG2R la Mondiale consider giving a place to a rider who has never made stage racing his forte? The answer lies in the profile of the first week of the Tour de France and Vandenbergh's relatively unique skill set in a team more suited to stage racing in the mountains. The opening days of the Tour – until the first rest-day – are littered with danger, especially for a lightweight like Bardet. Cobbles, tight roads, fights for position and a team trial – Bardet could potentially be minutes down before the race even reaches the mountains.
Step forward Vandenbergh.
ADVERTISEMENT
"Something like the Tour depends on the condition but I don’t know yet if I’ll do it. It’s been a long time. The last time was when I was at Katusha and I did the Tour de France two times. I finished it once. That’s been seven years ago now," he told Cyclingnews at the Tour Down Under.
Almost two meters in height, Vandenbergh was for five years one of Tom Boonen's protectors at Quick-Step. What was good enough for one of the best one-day riders in history would surely serve a rider like Bardet during the chaos of the first week at the Tour.
One issue, perhaps is that Vandenbergh track record in three-week racing is virtually non-existent. Two starts, one finish does not scream consistency.
You can read more at Cyclingnews.com
via Cyclingnews Latest News http://ift.tt/2mPyVSl
No comments:
Post a Comment