CCC Team to hunt for stage victories in Tirreno-Adriatico
Mar 12 2019 03:16 am CET
CCC Team © Mary Cárdenas / CyclingPub.com
Greg Van Avermaet is set to lead CCC Team in Tirreno Adriatico. The team will start in the race with the main focus of taking stage victories and continue the preparations ahead of the rest of the classics season.
The first main goal for the team in the Italian race will be to take the victory of the team time trial on the first day. "The parcours of this year's Tirreno-Adriatico is a little bit different to the last years," said sports director Valerio Piva. "It's not a really mountainous race with uphill finishes, it's more of a traditional Tirreno-Adriatico with a lot of up and down undulating terrain.
"There is one really hard stage with a final circuit and short climb, so I think Greg Van Avermaet can finish with a good result on this parcours. However, the main objective is to try and win a stage and finish the preparation for the Classics."
The rest of the riders will also get the chance of going for their individual aspirations. "A good result on stage one can make a difference on the General Classification because there is a big chance to take time in the team time trial," Piva explained.
"Then, we will take things day by day and try to win a stage with Greg. We don't really need to protect Greg every day, so the other riders will all have a chance to take an opportunity and race aggressively."
Van Avermaet already won the race in 2016 and will be looking to fine-tune his shape ahead of the Classics season. "I always enjoy racing at Tirreno-Adriatico," the Belgian said. "I have some really nice memories there with my overall win and stage wins over the years so I would like to add to the tally in the CCC Team jersey.
"The team time trial on stage one will be the first one for most of us this year and given we have won the last three times, it is always an important stage for the team so I hope we can start the week with a good result. From there, I think I have a chance in a few of the stages so we will see how the race goes. A stage race like Tirreno-Adriatico is the best way to get some solid racing kilometres in the legs so if I can finish the race with good sensations then I will head to the rest of the Classics with a lot of confidence."
CCC Team's complete roster for Tirreno-Adriatico (13th to 19th of March):
Joey Rosskopf
Michael Schär
Greg Van Avermaet
Gijs Van Hoecke
Nathan Van Hooydonck
Guillaume Van Keirsbulck
Lukasz Wisniowski
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