Team Bahrain McLaren will continue their Belgian campaign at the Gent-Wevelgem in Flanders Fields today.
The course of the 82nd edition of the classic that crosses Flanders Fields will feature the start under the Menin Gate in Ypres and the legendary climbs of Moeren, the Plugstreets and the Kemmelberg before finishing in Wevelgem after 232.1km.
“Our line-up will include a mix of sprinters and classic men,” Team Bahrain McLaren sports director Tristan Hoffman said.
“We have three riders that can make the difference: Sonny Colbrelli, Dylan Teuns and Ivan Cortina. They’ll get the protection at any time during the race, that is a typical classic one. The course heads to the coast and then back inland, with the risk of crosswind and backwind that split the group. Kemmelberg is a key point in the race and gravel zones will put extra stress on the riders. We expect the peloton will reduce and we will try to have our guys there, fighting in a select group in the finale”.
Colbrelli is looking forward to the North Classics and his recent results (3rd place at the Kapelmuur BinckBank Tour stage and 4th at Brabantse Pijl) showed he is in a good form.
“I’m in shape and with the team, we aim to take a good result. We are competing there with a strong squad and we have the chance to succeed. It will be fundamental to be in front at the key points of the race,” he said.
The team will remain in Belgium for Scheldeprijs on Wednesday. Due to Covid-19 restrictions, the oldest Flemish classic on the calendar will feature a new course with 10 laps in and around Schoten, each 17.4km long.
“It will make it, even more, a sprinters race,” Hoffman said. “We will race with Mark Cavendish who has been very succesful there”.
Line-up for Gent-Wevelgem: Mark Cavendish, Sonny Colbrelli, Ivan Cortina, Marco Haller, Marcel Sieberg, Dylan Teuns, Fred Wright.
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