«It wasn’t an easy selection, as I imagine happens in all teams, because many want to come to the Giro d’Italia, but these are the eight men we have decided to bring and we will try to get the most out of them.” Davide Bramati thus begins by talking about Soudal-Quick Step.
A bit like we did yesterday with Roberto Damiani for the Cofidislet’s discover the eight standard bearers of the Belgian team: Tim Merlier, Mauri Vansevenant, Pieter Serry, Josef Cerny, Bert Van Lerberghe, Luke Lamperti, Jan Hirt and Julian Alaphilippe. A team designed to attack the stages, as was in its DNA before the explosion of Remco Evenepoel.
Davide, how are your boys?
Well, they are all motivated and ready to give their best. I would say that we are going to the Giro d’Italia with an excellent team. Tim (Merliered.) has won a lot, Vansevenant has shown that he is strong in the Ardennes classics and Alaphilippe seems very motivated to me.
Let’s start right from Vansevenant…
There could be many opportunities for him. He comes from a fourth place at the Amstel and a sixth at Liège. Alla Freccia, like many others, suffered from the cold, but is fine.
He’s fine but now this boy (he’s born in 1999) must also make it clear who he really is: climber, classics man, attacker…
As mentioned, it comes out well in the classics. I liked it in Liège, keeping up with the best on the Stockeu and also going strong on the Redoute. He prepared himself to perfection I believe that in this Giro or rather at the end of this Giro, we will actually know something more about him. Also because it is the first time that he has truly managed to arrive at a great Giro in excellent condition. Mauri holds on uphill, he’s fast, I’m sure we’ll see him and, as mentioned, we’ll know more then.
Sprinters chapter: Merlier. He’s a great name. How is he?
He hasn’t run since Roubaix. As planned he rested well. He comes from an excellent first part of the season and has rightly observed his recovery period. He will arrive in Italy today and I will talk to him carefully. I will speak with him but also with others, to establish the strategies for this Giro. We believe a lot in Tim.
Who will be her last man?
Bert Van Lerberghe, expert and ideal for this role. But if you saw we also brought Lamperti. It’s his first big Giro, but he deserved this call-up. I believe that a similar experience will be able to give him a lot in the future. A great Giro always leaves you something. He will be put on the train to Merlier. He’s a sprinter, but he holds up well on short sprints. I think being close to two experienced riders like Bert and Tim will only do him good.
Team of attackers, but then there’s Jan Hirt who will also keep an eye on the standings? In 2022 he came sixth in the general…
Jan also had a good first part of the season, standing out especially against Oman, and not doing badly against Catalunya. He prepared well for the Giro d’Italia: he has already finished sixth and also won a stage… let’s not forget it (as if to underline that the stage comes first and then the ranking, ed.) For him it will be important to be ready immediately, given that after two stages I’m not saying that we will know who doesn’t win it, excluding Pogacar, but already yes they will know well the values on the field and who is in condition. It’s a different start to the Giro than in recent years.
And then there’s the big name: Julian Alaphilippe…
He’s really motivated. Julian is taking part in the Giro for the first time. The idea of being able to win a stage here also tickles him given that he has already won both at the Tour and the Vuelta. There are plenty of possibilities for him, it’s all about exploiting them. He has class and already on Saturday, in the first stage, with the amount of tactics that I imagine there will be, Julian could have a good opportunity.
And have you already talked about “other occasions”? Or on the contrary, was he the one who asked you about a particular fraction?
No, as I said, I haven’t spoken well yet. We will have Thursday and Friday to draw up a more in-depth strategy. In these last days between Romandie and the Giro I preferred to leave him completely calm to rest. In fact he was only home for three days.
He is motivated and Alaphilippe is very loved in Italy, his victory would be good for everyone: for him, for the team, for the Giro, for the fans. But how is he really? It doesn’t come from a super season…
I’ll tell you this. At Romandia, in Saturday’s big stage, he was supposed to help Van Wilder. On the first hard climb, there were fifteen of us left and he was there. Alahilippe prepared well. You’ll see.
