ProTeam Intermarché-Lotto has several cards to play in the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
Intermarché-Lotto heads into the race with several options. The team returns to racing on French roads and will once again compete in its reversed jersey during the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes next week. Georg Zimmermann returns from altitude training after his victory in Frankfurt at the beginning of May, Lars Craps continues his comeback following knee surgery, and Vito Braet builds on a busy month of May. “It will be an open race for us,” says sports director Mario Aerts. “We have no general classification ambitions, so we need to hope for a sprint, a successful breakaway, or a mountain stage where we can try something.”
As always, there is no shortage of climbing in the Dauphiné. “Stage one is already a tough challenge, with more than 3,000 metres of climbing packed into 146 kilometres, making it a stage for the GC riders. Even though Jonas Vingegaard and Tadej PogaÄar are not at the start this year, the peloton is still full of riders either preparing for the Tour de France or trying to earn a place in their team’s Tour selection. That means everyone arrives in top condition. Paul Seixas is racing the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes and Isaac Del Toro is also on the start list. In other words, it will be a race of a very high level regardless.”
Aerts hopes there will still be opportunities for the sprinters despite their limited numbers. “I see our best chances in stage five. Stage four could also end in a sprint, but we’ll need a bit of luck. We have Vito Braet and Mathieu Kockelmann with us, and I hope they get at least one opportunity to sprint for a result. But a lot depends on how the race unfolds. There is also a strong possibility that an early breakaway survives, and in that case we can rely on Baptiste Veistroffer. Zimmermann and Craps can hold their own in the mountain stages. Everyone can get their chance, and it’s up to us to make the race.”
Picture: PhotoNews
