The Tour de France begins this Saturday from Florence and will have a strong black-yellow-red accent. Indeed, 28 Belgians are lined up for this 111th edition of the Grande Boucle. And our compatriots come with quite a few different objectives.
So, Remco Evenepoel – who is making his debut on the Tour – will aim for a good final general classification. Although he appears ambitious, Brabançon does not set out with a goal of final victory. At the start of the season, a top 5 was mentioned. This was reinforced by the thwarted preparation of the Belgian, victim of a broken collarbone and shoulder blade two and a half months ago.
Remco Evenepoel confides before his first Tour de France: “I am more like Miguel Indurain than Alberto Contador”
To surround it, Remco Evenepoel will be able to count on Yves Lampaert, Louis Vervaeke et Ilan Van WilderThe first will have to protect his leader from dangers (wind, falls, etc.) in the plain, while the other two will have to support him for as long as possible in the mountains.
The ghost Steff Cras (TotalÉnergies), also heavily affected in the fall of the Tour of the Basque Country last April, will also try to obtain a good general classification, while trying to slip into one or the other breakaway in the high mountains.
Many cards in mass sprints
In flat stages, Jasper Philipsen should be the most prominent man on the Belgian side. Winner of four stages and the green jersey for best sprinter last year, the rider from Alpecin-Deceuninck is the big favorite for his own succession. There will be a maximum of eight mass finishes and as many scoring possibilities for Philipsen in this Tour. In the sprints, he will be led by Mathieu van der Poel and his Belgian teammates. Jonas Rickaert, Robbe Ghys et Gianni Vermeersch. The latter could enjoy a certain freedom in the white paths stage in Troyes which should suit him with his cyclo-crossman profile.
The new Belgian champion Arnaud De Lie is also expected in the sprints. The Walloon is competing in his first Tour de France and nevertheless considers himself slower than the pure sprinters in the massive flat finishes. On the other hand, he has circled two stages in red in his calendar: the 8th stage in Colombey-les-Deux-Eglises with a flat rising finish which suits him perfectly. And the next day, in the white paths stage, De Lie will find a playground to suit him.
The Bull of Lescheret will be able to have his trusted men at this Tour de France: Sébastien Grignard, Cedric Beullens, Brent VanMoer et Victor Campenaerts will put themselves entirely at their service in the stages that suit them. The last two could also try their luck in stages reserved for adventurers such as Lioran (stage 11), Superdévoluy (stage 17) or Barcelonnette (stage 18).
The Intermarché-Wanty team also took fast Belgian riders into these ranks with Gerben Thijssen et Laurenz Rex. The winner of the last GP Samyn should nevertheless put himself at the service of the first as well as Biniam Girmay in the stages reserved for pure sprinters.
Eighth in the Belgian championship, Laurenz Rex feels the pressure mounting before his first Tour: “But it’s an honor and a pride to go there”
What role for Wout van Aert?
What to expect from Wout van Aert on this Tour de France? While he was not initially scheduled for the Grande Boucle, the Belgian changed his plans, forced to give up the Giro after his terrible fall in À travers la Flandre. The former Belgian champion is therefore moving a little into the unknown and his exact role within the Visma | Lease a Bike team is rather unclear.
Will Van Aert put himself entirely at the service of Jonas Vingegaard, whose state of form also seems uncertain, or will he enjoy a certain freedom to win one or the other stage? With the Olympic Games in mind, the Tour de France could also be used as a final preparation.
For his part, Maxim Van Gils is perhaps the best Belgian chance to take the yellow jersey after the first stage. The Lotto rider Dstny has shown throughout the season that he is now one of the best punchers in the world and the first stage could fit him like a glove. The next day, the Belgian will have a second opportunity to show off the San Luca wall.
Then, Van Gils will “transform” into an adventurer and try to win one or the other stage from the breakaway. This will also be the case for Harm Vanhoucke, a last-minute guest in the Lotto Dstny selection and who has shown good things in the mountains since the start of the season. At Intermarché-Wanty, Kobe Goossens will also have the opportunity to demonstrate his climbing skills in breakaways.
Many teammates
For the others, the primary objective of this Tour de France will be to surround their leader(s) as much as possible, with more or less relative personal freedom. Tiesj Benoot (with Jonas Vingegaard), Laurens More (with Egan Bernal, Tom Pidcock and Carlos Rodriguez) and above all Tim Wellens (with Tadej Pogacar) all have a leader capable of winning the general classification.
Tim Wellens wants to bring Tadej Pogacar to a third final success on the Grande Boucle: “Winning the Tour as a teammate is class!”
At Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale, Oliver Naesen will be the road captain and will have to guide his young teammates Felix Gall and the new French champion Paul Lapeira as best as possible, while supporting Sam Bennett in the mass sprints.
Amaury Capiot (Archaean-Samsic), Piet Allegaert (Cofidis) as well as Jasper Stuyven et Tim Declercq (Lidl-Trek) will all also have a teammate role within their respective team.
The 2024 Tour de France will be black-yellow-red: there have not been so many Belgian riders at the start of the Grande Boucle… for 35 years
