Etixx - Quick-Step to Le Tour de France

Etixx - Quick-Step to Le Tour de France

Etixx - Quick-Step has announced the selection that will participate in the 102nd edition of Le Tour de France, which includes nine flat stages, three hilly stages, seven high mountain stages with summit finishes, one individual time trial, and one team time trial. There are also two rest days during the three week grand tour that starts on Saturday, July 4th, and goes until Sunday, July 26th.

The selection of Etixx - Quick-Step for Le Tour is Mark Cavendish, Michal Golas, Michal Kwiatkowski, Tony Martin, Mark Renshaw, Zdenek Stybar, Matteo Trentin, Rigoberto Uran, and Julien Vermote.

The first week of Le Tour will be a crucial opportunity for Etixx - Quick-Step. The Grand Depart takes place in Utrecht (Netherlands) with a 13.7km individual time trial. Stage two is a seacoast race, going along the harbor from Utrecht to Zeeland during a completely flat 166km stage. The race then takes on an Classics feel as it moves into Belgium during Stage 3, 159.9km in total distance, from Anvers to Huy with a finish on Category 3 Mur de Huy. The Mur de Huy is 1.3km at 9.6% average gradient, but there is a ramp on this finale that reaches 19 percent gradient. There is also Category 4 Cote de Bohissau, Category 4 Cote d'Ereffe, and Category 4 Cote de Cherave to ascend during this stage. Stage 4, from Seraing to Cambrai, features the cobbles of Paris-Roubaix along its 223.5km of total distance. There are a total of seven sectors for a total of 13 kilometers. Six of these sectors are within a 30 kilometer span of the stage, with the last sector at the 210.5 kilometer mark. Stage 6, 189.5km from Arras Communauté Urbaine to Amiens Métropole, is an up-and-down affair through some of the battle regions of World War I. However, a sprint finale is anticipated. The 191.5km 6th Stage, from Abbeville to Le Havre, goes along the windy coast of Normandy. The parcours is undulating with three Category 4 ascents, and there is a small uphill going into the finish. Stage 7, from Livarot to Fougères, again has a slightly uphill into the finish, and while the stage could end in a group arrival, this might be a chance for a breakaway to make it to the line. This stage wraps up a period of several chances for the sprinters. Stage 8, from Rennes to Mûr-de-Bretagne, may be the first real opportunity for GC contenders to establish some time gaps. The Mûr-de-Bretagne concludes the 181.5km stage, and the riders will have to fight for two kilometers on a 6.9% average gradient with some steep ramps. Finally, to conclude the first week, there is the 28km TTT from Vannes to Plumelec. This is a hilly time trial including the Côte de Cadoudal (1.7km, 6.2%) to conclude the race against the clock.

After the first rest day the fight for the yellow jersey gets into full swing for the GC contenders. There is the Stage 10 finale on HC La Pierre Saint-Martin (15.3 kilometre-long climb at 7.4%), a climb featured in Le Tour for the first time in its history (it was a descent in 2007) with several very steep slopes. The are three stages spent in the Pyrenees, and several more up-and-down parcours in the southern portion of the Massif Central. Finally, the Tour de France heads into the Alps for the last week of racing. The high mountain summit stages, while shorter in distance, will be action packed as the top riders of the classification will be trying to further establish their advantages, or perhaps move up in the overall. The 110.5km penultimate stage of Le Tour includes a finale on the legendary Alpe d'Huez (13.8km, 8.1% average gradient), but Category 1 Col du Télégraphe (11.9km, 7.1%) could lead to the peloton being splintered well before they reach the foot of the final climb. The Tour de France concludes with the prestigious arrival on the Paris Champs-Élysées.

"We are at the start of this Tour de France with a very talented and experienced team," Sport and Development Manager Rolf Aldag said. "Of course for a team like ours, until the 9th Stage at the TTT, every day will be a challenge. Starting in the beginning in Utrecth with the ITT, and continuing the day after with a stage that, on paper, looks to be conditioned by crosswinds along the sea. It's no secret we have a team that is built for these kinds of efforts. So we are looking forward to this stage. Then we move into Belgium. As a team based there, it is a key moment of Le Tour to show ourselves in front of our home public. We also have the day of the Mur de Huy finale, where we can play with several options. Then the day after, Stage 4 with the cobbles, it is another stage that suits our team perfectly, even if riding on a Classic parcours during the Tour de France is not exactly like riding the spring races. Of course, in cycling anything can happen during these stages, but we know we are as prepared as any team in the peloton to do well on the cobbled sectors. Then we have a couple of stages for fast riders, where Mark Cavendish can be a protagonist. Mark will have the team at his service these days. To conclude the first week of the Tour de France is the arrival of Mûr-de-Bretagne, and the TTT, a discipline where technique and commitment are important. We have tradition in this discipline, that's why we consider it a important appointment on our road to Paris. Our goal is to perform well in this first part of the race. We want to go into the first rest day happy with our overall performance. It will be important to perform, find results, and then good confidence for the second part of the race starting with the 10th stage. In the second part of Le Tour there are still some stages for the sprints, but also a lot of ground for climbers and attackers. We have options also in the mountains with a rider like Rigoberto Uran, but not only him. Riders such as Tony and Michal showed already in the past that every day they can invent something significant. We want to be consistent over the three weeks and try to be present on multiple levels. We want to be present in the stages, and why not, try to get the yellow jersey for a few days. Wearing that jersey even for few days is always a big achievement. The guys prepared well for this race, and we are confident that all the jobs we've done in the last weeks will pay off at the right moment. We believe in our selection formed by riders of eight different nationalities. Our ultimate goal is to leave a mark in this Tour de France, and we believe we have the potential to do it."

Etixx - Quick-Step Rider Info:

Mark Cavendish (Great Britain)

9th participation

25 stage wins Tour de France (2013 (2x), 2012 (3x), 2011 (5x), 2010 (5x), 2009 (6x), 2008 (4x))

18 days green jersey as leader of points classification Tour de France (2011 (10x), 2009 (8x)

Winner point classification in 2011

2nd points classification (2009,2010,2013)

2015 Victories

7th stage Tour de San Luis, 1st, 4th stage and overall Dubai Tour, Clásica de Almería, Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne, 1st, 2nd & 7th Stage Tour of Turkey, 1st, 2nd, 5th and 8th Stage Amgen Tour of California

Michal Golas (Poland)

2nd participation

2015 Highlights

17th place Paris-Nice Stage 6

Michal Kwiatkowski (Poland)

3rd participation

12 days leader youth classification Tour de France (2014 (2x), 2013 (10x))

2015 Victories

Prologue Paris-Nice, Best Young Rider Paris-Nice, Amstel Gold Race

Other 2015 Highlights

2nd place Tour de San Luis Stage 5 ITT, 2nd place Overall & Stage 4 Volta ao Algarve em Bicicleta, 2nd overall Paris-Nice, 3rd place Paris-Nice Stage 4, 4th place Dwars door Vlaanderen / A travers la Flandre, 2nd place Vuelta Ciclista al Pais Vasco Stage 1, 2nd Place Points Classification Vuelta Ciclista al Pais Vasco

Tony Martin (Germany)

7th participation

4 stage wins Tour de France (2014 (2x), 2013, 2011)

15 days leader you classification Tour de France (2010 (3x), 2009 (12x))

1 day leader mountain classification Tour de France (2014)

2015 Victories

3rd stage Volta ao Algarve, 6th stage Tour de Romandie

Other 2015 Highlights

3rd place Paris-Nice Prologue, 4th Place Stage 7 ITT Paris-Nice, 4th place Mountains Classification Vuelta Ciclista al Pais Vasco, 4th place Tour de Romandie Stage 1 ITT

Mark Renshaw (Australia)

7th participation

2015 highlights

3rd place Clasica de Almeria, 8th place Driedaagse De Panne-Koksijde Stage 2

Zdenek Stybar (Czech Republic)

First Participation

2015 Victories

Strade Bianche

Other 2015 Highlights

2nd place E3 Harelbeke & Paris-Roubaix, 3rd Vuelta Ciclista al Murcia

Matteo Trentin (Italy)

3rd participation

2 stage wins Tour de France (2014, 2013)

2015 Highlights

3rd E3 Harelbeke, 6th place Scheldeprijs, 7th Tour de Suisse Stage 8

Rigoberto Uran (Colombia)

3rd Participation

4 days leader youth classification Tour de France (2011 (4x)

2015 Victories

Colombian National ITT Championship

Other 2015 Highlights

4th place Colombian National Road Championship, 2nd place Tirreno-Adriatico Stage 4, 2nd place Volta Ciclista a Catalunya Stage 3, 5th place overall Tour de Romandie, 3rd place Stage 19 & 20 Giro d'Italia

Julien Vermote (Belgium)

First Participation

2015 Highlights

21st place Volta ao Algarve em Bicicleta Stage 3 ITT, 14th place Strade Bianche, 19th place Tirreno-Adriatico Stage 6, 8th place Driedaagse De Panne-Koksijde Stage 3b & Overall