SOUDAL-QUICK STEP
BELGIUM
Riders: 29 Under 26: 8 Over 35: 2
Key stat: Remco Evenepoel has won more races (27) than the entire AG2R Citroën team (26) since racing returned
How was the off-season?
Team legends Zdenek Štybar (Jayco Alula), Ilko Keisse (retired) and Mark Cavendish (Astana) departed, the latter being replaced by Belgian champion Tim Merlier. Jan Hirt will bolster their GC options.
Biggest challenge
Evenepoel’s Vuelta a España and World Championships double saved what was otherwise a comparatively disappointing season for the Belgian superteam, one that began with a dreadful Spring Classics campaign – until that man Evenepoel won Liège-bastogne-liège. “Last year, in the Classics, we were never at full force, we always had someone ill,” bemoans DS Tom Steels. “This spring we have to stay healthy. The riders are strong enough to compete, to do really good results.”
The days of Quick Step dominating the spring seem long gone though. “There were years when we alone carried the races, but that’s not a thing anymore,” Steels adds. “Better competition is better for us and it gives us more freedom. Having strength in numbers will always be our tactic.”
Man on the spot
Two-time world champion Julian Alaphilippe has been given an ultimatum by his team manager Patrick Lefevere to stop crashing and start winning again, saying, “He needs to confirm that he is still a champion.”
Ones to watch
Team pursuit world champion Ethan Vernon, 22, impressed last year as a neo-pro with three wins – including his first in the Worldtour at the Volta a Catalunya – and he’ll be backing himself to win on the road and in the velodrome once more.