BikeExchange to focus on stage victories in Tour de France
Jun 21 2021 11:02 pm CET
Team BikeExchange
Team BikeExchange is set to start in the Tour de France with a strong roster that will focus on stage victories.
The Australian team will be at the second grand tour of the year with a versatile roster that features three riders that can fight for day glory: Michael Matthews, Simon Yates and Esteban Chaves. The formation will also take Lucas Hamilton will make his debut to gather experience in the general classification battle.
"We have assembled a very well-balanced unit for this year's TDF," said Matt White, Head Sport Director. "The group has multiple options as we go after stage wins across the entire three-weeks. We are welcoming Michael Matthews back into our TDF roster as we target selective sprints and medium mountain stages. In support of him, we have Luka Mezgec who was very impressive in his Tour debut last year and is capable of winning in his own right.
"We have an engine room that is tried and tested with road captain Luke Durbridge working with our Scandinavian duo of Chris Juul-Jensen and Amund Grøndahl Jansen, who have plenty of experience in riding for world-class leaders. Then our elite climbing unit is led by Simon Yates who is looking to add more stage wins to his tally and Esteban Chaves who has won stages at both the Giro d'Italia and Vuelta a España and is aiming to add wins at the TDF to his resume. Finally, we have our only Tour de France debutant in Lucas Hamilton who has had a very consistent year so far and he will be getting our full support as he rides for GC."
Matthews is looking forward to the performance of the team in the French Grand tour. "We have a really good shot at going for stage wins with myself and a lot of other guys in the team we have," said the Australian. "We can go in with Chaves and Yates for the climbs and the breakaway days and then for me with the sprint and more intermediate sort of stages.
"There's a couple of stages in this year's Tour that suit me really well, especially in the first week. So, hopefully we can start the Tour off well on those days and then continue the momentum through once we get to the climbs with the other guys. The Tour de France is always a special and important race for everyone, I am feeling in good shape and really motivated to try and go for a fourth Tour de France stage win."
Team BikeExhange's roster for the Tour de France (June 26-July 18):
Esteban Chaves (COL)
Luke Durbridge (AUS)
Amund Grøndahl Jansen (NOR)
Lucas Hamilton (AUS)
Chris Juul-Jensen (DEN)
Michael Matthews (AUS)
Luka Mezgec (SLO)
Simon Yates (GBR)
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