Soudal Quick-step’s Classics Ambitions: A Deep dive
This article details Soudal Quick-Step’s strategy and roster for the upcoming cobbled classics season, focusing on their efforts to challenge the dominance of Mathieu van der Poel and Tadej Pogačar. Here’s a breakdown of the key takeaways:
Key Players & Team Composition:
* Philippe Gilbert: A proven winner with victories at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne, and San Remo. He has consistently placed well in major classics (two top 5s in Flanders and Roubaix).
* Paul Magnier: A rising star, adding youthful energy to the team.
* Yves Lampaert: A reliable and experienced classics rider.
* Dylan Van Baarle: A key addition, aiming for top results in flanders and Roubaix. He left Visma-Lease a bike seeking more freedom in his training approach.
* New Backroom Staff: Legends Niki Terpstra, tim Declercq, and sep Vanmarcke have joined the team in support roles, bringing extensive classics experience.
Strategy & Approach:
* team Strength in Numbers: The team aims to leverage its collective strength to avoid being forced into one-on-one battles with Van der Poel and Pogačar. The goal is to create situations where they aren’t constantly chasing.
* Exploiting Weaknesses: The team hopes to capitalize on any off-days from Van der Poel and Pogačar, similar to how van Baarle won paris-Roubaix previously.
* Van Baarle’s Freedom: Van Baarle specifically chose soudal Quick-Step for the freedom to pursue his personalized, and sometiems “extreme,” training methods, which were restricted at Visma-Lease a Bike. He believes this approach is key to his success.
Challenges & Goals:
* Dominance of Van der Poel & Pogačar: The article acknowledges the immense challenge posed by thes two riders.
* Monument Victory: The team is focused on winning their first monument sence 2021 (Flanders with Kasper Asgreen) and 2022-23 (Liège-Bastogne-Liège with Remco Evenepoel).
* Grand Tour Focus Shift: The team is clearly prioritizing the classics over grand tour contention, with the exception of veteran Mikel Landa.
the article paints a picture of a team rebuilding its classics prowess, embracing a strategy of collective strength, and providing key riders like Van Baarle the freedom to optimize their planning for the challenging cobblestone races.