Julian Alaphilippe will return to Flanders’ iconic roads for the 76th edition of Omloop Het Nieuwsblad. Photo: Wout Beel
Four months after he got his first taste of the cobblestones, Julian Alaphilippe returns to Flanders’ iconic roads, this time for Saturday’s 76th edition of Omloop Het Nieuwsblad.
The 28-year-old Frenchman, whose first appearance of the season came at the Tour de la Provence where he finished second overall, headed out for a recon on Thursday, tackling some of the key climbs of the 200.5km parcours between Gent and Ninove.
“Omloop is a very beautiful race, which I used to watch on TV, and it makes me glad to make my debut here this year, especially with the rainbow jersey on my shoulders,” the world champion said as he prepares to return to the region after crashing out of the Tour of Flanders last October.
“It’s a great opportunity to kick off my classics campaign and to discover this special race.
“I come here after a strong La Provence where I had good sensations, and this, together with the fact it’s my first presence here, gives me a lot of motivation for Saturday.
“I’m not the favourite. We come at the start with a strong and versatile team, we have several cards to play, and while we would like to win, we won’t take anything for granted”, said Alaphilippe.
The rest of Deceuninck-Quick-Step’s seven-man line-up for the race is Kasper Asgreen, Davide Ballerini, Tim Declercq, Yves Lampaert, Florian Senechal and Zdenek Stybar.
