While the climbers battle it out on the Spanish climbs, the classics specialists have started a very busy schedule of autumn classics. The sprinters were in the spotlight when things kicked off in the Vattenfall Cyclassics but they will have a harder time in Sunday's GP Ouest France - Plouay which continues the series of one-day races. Held on a tough circuit in Bretagne, the race invites to aggression and often develops into a fierce battle between the teams of the strongest sprinters and the punchy attackers.

 

Paris-Roubaix may gain most of the attention as the biggest French one-day race but the big country actually has another single-day event on the WorldTour calendar. Held concurrently with the Vuelta a Espana, the GP Ouest France - Plouay is often overshadowed by the Spanish grand tour but the Breton race is an exciting event that fits perfectly into the schedule of autumn classics that all favour a certain type of riders.

 

The race originates all the way back to 1931 and has been an annual event ever since, only interrupted by a short break during World War II. For many years, it was dominated by French riders and failed to gain much attention from the international peloton. Italian Ugo Anzile won the 1954 edition but the race wasn't taken by another foreigner until Dutchman Frits Pirard triumphed 25 years later.

 

However, held in the cycling-mad Bretagne, the race has always gained plenty of national interest and been a real celebration of cycling. As the biggest race in the region, it has attracted large audiences and during the 90s, up to 300.000 spectators were spread out on the 27km circuit that is the setting of the race. During the 80s and 90s, the race gradually attracted a more international line-up and the French domination has completely disappeared.

 

The major breakthrough came when the race was a surprise inclusion on the ProTour calendar at the introduction of the race series in 2005. Besides well-established classics Fleche Wallonne and Gent-Wevelgem, the Breton race was the only one-day event to get onto the finest calendar without having been part of the now defunct World Cup series.

 

The race has since kept its position among the world's elite races but has faced an uphill battle during the tough economic times. Repeatedly, the future of the event has come under threat but until now, a solution has always been found. For now, the problems have been solved and nowadays the race forms part of 5-day cycling festival that also includes BMX and amateur races and a women's World Cup event held on the same circuit as the men's race.

 

The race may not be as esteemed as the major spring classics but at a time when the importance of WorldTour points cannot be underestimated, the race is a real target for most of the teams. The race fits perfectly into the calendar of autumn races suited to sprinters and puncheurs which kicked off with the Eneco Tour and the Vattenfall Cyclassics and continues with the Brussels Cycling Classic and the GP Fourmies next weekend and numerous French and Belgian one-day races later in September.

 

The race is held on a hilly 27km course around Plouay which was also used for the 2000 world championships won by Romans Vainsteins. The climbs in themselves are not overly difficult but the constant ups and downs on a 229km course turn it into a race of attrition that has mostly been won by some of the strongest escape artists in the business. In recent years, Vincenzo Nibali (2006), Thomas Voeckler (2007), Pierrick Fedrigo (2008), Simon Gerrans (2009), Edvald Boasson Hagen (2012) and Sylvain Chavanel (2014) have all won from breakaways but the toughest sprinters may also have their say as it is evidenced by Matthew Goss' (2010), Grega Bole's (2011) and Filippo Pozzato’s (2013) sprint wins. The unpredictable race is usually highly aggressive with numerous attacks being launched on the many climbs while the sprint teams try to keep it together for a sprint from a small peloton.

 

The tough nature of the course also gives it a perfect position on the WorldTour calendar. The Vattenfall Cyclassics is a race for sprinters and kicks off the series of WorldTour one-day races. The GP Plouay suits both strong sprinters and classics specialists who can make a difference on the many climbs. In that sense, it is a perfect transition to the Canadian WorldTour races whose heavy courses turn them into races for climbers and Ardennes specialists. The WorldTour races gradually get tougher and tougher and make for a perfect build-up for the Worlds for the riders that have skipped the Vuelta.

 

While serving as a race with important WorldTour points on offer, the race may play its most important role as a preparation event for the World Championships. Due to its long distance and circuit format, it is comparable with a traditional Worlds road race and even though the tactics are vastly different in those two races, it is one of the best warm-up events for the battle for the rainbow jersey. With the Canadian WorldTour races also offering a tough circuit format, there’s a really solid block of one-day racing for riders preparing for one of the biggest races of the year. With the Worlds in Richmond set to suit strong sprinters and classics riders, it will be even more important in 2015 as it seems that most of the favourites for the rainbow jersey have opted for the one-day program instead of the Spanish grand tour.

 

Last year an in-form Alexander Kristoff was tipped as the man to beat but his Katusha team was unable to bring back a strong breakaway that escaped on the final climb. While the Norwegian lived up to expectations by winning the bunch sprint for 8th, Sylvain Chavanel finally managed to win a big WorldTour one-day race when he beat the surprisingly strong Andrea Fedi and Arthur Vichot into the minor podium positions in a 7-rider sprint. As he is currently doing his third grand tour of the season, Chavanel won’t be back to defend his title but Fedi and Vichot will both be back in an attempt to do even better than they did 12 months ago. Kristoff will also be back in action, hoping to make up for last year’s disappointment.

 

 

 

 

The course

The GP Ouest France - Plouay is not a typical one-day race on the WorldTour calendar. Alongside the newly-established Canadian races, the French race is the only one to use the circuit format that is mostly known from the World Championships and a number of smaller races. However, this unique nature turns it into the perfect preparation race for the World Championships.

 

The race will again mainly take place on its well-known 26.9km circuit but last year the organizers modified the course slightly. In the past, the riders did 9 laps of the circuit for a 243km race but for the second year in a row they will only complete the full circuit 8 times. At the end of the race, they will do one lap of a shortened 13.9km circuit which includes both major climbs but a shorter rolling section in between. While there was given no official explanation for the change, it is likely to have been prompted by a desire to make the finale more selective.

 

From the start just outside Plouay, the riders head downhill towards the centre of the city to tackle the first of the circuit's two main climbs, Cote du Lezot, which has a length of a little more than a kilometre and has several places with a 7% gradient. The top is located at the 2.5km mark and from there, the riders tackle a long, gradual descent as they leave the city to continue in a northerly direction.

 

At the 7km mark, the riders reach the bottom of the descent and from there, the roads are slightly ascending all the way to the northernmost point of the circuit in Chapelle Ste Anne des Bois. From there, the riders turn around to head back towards Plouay while they travel along flat roads all the way to the 18km mark. Here they make a small digression from the direct route to Plouay while they tackle a 2km descent.

 

From there, 7km remain and the first 2 of those are mostly flat. Then it's time for the circuit's toughest climb Cote de Ty Marrec which is just a little bit shy of 1km in length and has some steep 10% sections. What makes the climb more difficult is the fact that the road still rises slightly for another kilometre when the top of the climb has officially been reached. The next two kilometres are mainly downhill and then the final few hundred metres to the finish on the outskirts of Plouay is slightly uphill. There are two tricky turns to negotiate around 1.5km from the finish but the final kilometre follows a long, straight road.

 

The shortened circuit sees the riders go up the Cote du Lezot and head onto the long, gradual descent. However, having reached the bottom, they turn left instead of following the route for the big circuit. Not taking on the long, gradual ascent to the northernmost point, they travel along slightly descending roads as they rejoin the circuit around 7km from the finish. Then they hit the Cote de Ty Marrec before following the well-known road back to the finish.

 

The race follows its usual script with the establishment of an early breakaway but it often takes quite some time for the right combination to have been found. That break will gradually be reeled in by the favourite teams of which some try to increase the pressure on the numerous climbs.

 

The breakaway usually splits up along the way but is likely to be brought back into the fold. That doesn't stop the aggression. On the contrary, it often signals the start of the real race. The final two laps are usually a festival of attacks and it takes a dedicated effort from the teams of the strongest sprinters to keep the many strong climbers in check.

 

Some of the favourites prefer to wait for the final climb but many of the classics riders will try their hand earlier, meaning that a new group is usually formed inside the final 50km. Finally, a strong group is likely to go clear on the final lap and from there, the race usually develops into an exciting pursuit between the peloton and the escapees and an elimination race as riders constantly drop off. While the sprinters need to ask their teams to go full gas on the climbs, they also need to keep something in reserve for what is usually a highly unorganized sprint, should it all be brought back together for a final kick to the line. The final break is usually caught inside the final few kilometres, and if it stays away, it is only just by a matter of a few seconds.

 

The most obvious launch pads for attacks are of course the two climbs and the steep Ty Marrec has often been where the decisive break has gone clear. However, the sections after the top of the climbs both offer similarly good options as there is no immediate descent and so the peloton often slows down to catch its breath. With everybody being at their limit, it may be a good idea to save some energy for an attack just after the top where the attackers can gain some ground before the chase gets organized.

 

The weather

Plouay have had a bit of rain recently and there is a risk that the riders will again face wet conditions on Sunday. It will be a sunny morning but as the day goes on, more clouds will appear and there is a 19% chance of rain in the finale. The temperature will reach a maximum of 22 degrees.

 

There will only be a light wind which will come from an easterly direction in the early part of the race before gradually change direction. In the finale, it will come from the west. This means that there will be a crosswind the final time up the Cote du Lezot and then it will mainly be a headwind or a cross-headwind for a while. With 5km to go, the riders will turn into a cross-tailwind which will assist them for the final part of the stage. It will even become more of a tailwind on the finishing straight.

 

The favourites

During the first years with a status as top level race, the GP Ouest France - Plouay was mostly decided by strong breakaways who narrowly held off the peloton in the finale. In recent years, the race has leaned more towards the strong sprinters and the 2013 was a prime example of how difficult it can be to escape the peloton’s clutches.

 

However, that race also underlined which sprinters have a chance in this race. Giacomo Nizzolo and Daniele Bennati were the only riders in the top 5 who regularly feature in the bunch sprints and both are known as pretty strong climbers too. Instead, classics rider Filippo Pozzato, Samuel Dumoulin and Jurgen Roelandts beat riders who are usually a lot faster. Even though the sprint is a high-speed one of slightly descending roads, the tough nature of the course means that the fastest rider on paper is not always going to win.

 

However, the change to the course made a different in last year’s race. The shorter distance between the final two climbs made it possible for a late break to stay clear as Katusha were unable to control the race for Alexander Kristoff. The Norwegian dutifully won the sprint for 8th which was again dominated by strong sprinters like the Norwegian, Nizzolo, Roelandts, Gianni Meersman, Borty Bozic and Francesco Gavazzi who are mostly more classics riders than real sprinters. Sprinters like Elia Viviani and Romain Feillu had made the selection but were unable to get into a good enough position to do the sprint.

 

In recent years, the fact that the race has been more suited to sprinters has had an impact on the tactics of the teams. Many have preferred to line up fast finishers and rode a pretty defensive race with the aim of getting a reduced bunch sprint. That was evident in last year’s race where most had some kind of fast finisher.

 

This year things have changed a bit as the start list is loaded with strong classics riders who aim at animating the race. One can only speculate about the reason but there is no doubt that the course changes and last year’s breakaway success play a role. Secondly, the combination of the easier World Championships course and the fact that the rainbow battle will be held on the other side of the Atlantic, means that many classics riders have opted to prepare for the race by skipping the Vuelta and doing the WorldTour one-day races. This means that many one-day specialists will be at the start in Plouay and many teams want to animate the race.

 

A few teams still have dedicated sprint teams, most notable Giant-Alpecin and Katusha who want to sprint with Marcel Kittel and Alexander Kristoff respectively. Trek will also be supporting an in-form Giacomo Nizzolo but also have Fabio Felline to cover the attacks, meaning that they won’t focus fully on a bunch sprint. FDJ have Arnaud Demare and could be the most important ally for Katusha as could Europcar and Sky.

 

With Kittel’s poor showing in Hamburg, we doubt that he will be in contention in the finale so Giant-Alpecin may have to change tactics. This means that Katusha may be the only team that is riding fully for a bunch sprint. Of course they will get some help from the teams that miss the moves in the finale but this year it seems that most teams want to go on the attack. To make that possible, they need to make the race hard and most notably a very strong BMC team have the firepower to do so. Hence, it will be much harder to get a bunch sprint in 2015 and if we get one, the field will probably be even smaller.

 

The fact that there may be rain in the finale and that there will be a tailwind from the top of the final climb also favor the escapees. Finally, several teams have more than one card to play so they may send strong riders on the attack pretty far from the finish. In fact, a decisive move can get clear at almost every point during the finale two laps. Interestingly, most of the strongest classics riders are also pretty fast in a sprint so they are likely to be confident in their chances from a small group and their desire to go on will be increased by the fact that many of them have no favourite sprinter waiting behind.

 

In our opinion, it will be hard for Katusha to keep things together so we are lending towards a win from a small breakaway which includes some of the best classics riders. Everything will depend on their cooperation though so a reduced sprint cannot be ruled out but it won’t be easy to make the selection.

 

There is no doubt that BMC have the strongest team but they have no big-name sprinter. Their plan is to make the race as hard as possible and they have numerous cards to play in the finale. Strong riders like Silvan Dillier, Ben Hermans, Dylan Teuns and Loic Vliegen will put the rivals under pressure in the final laps and then it will be up to Greg Van Avermaet and Philippe Gilbert to make the difference in the finale.

 

Van Avermaet has developed into the most consistent classics rider in the world. He was on the podium in Paris-Roubaix and would probably have won one of the hilliest one-day races Clasica San Sebastian if he hadn’t been run down by a motorcycle. Since that race, he rode strongly to second in the Eneco Tour where he was clearly the best of the rest behind the dominant Tim Wellens in the Ardennes. In fact he might have won the race if he had gauged his efforts a bit better. Most recently, he proved his good condition by sprinting to a top 5 in Hamburg in a race that should actually be too easy for him.

 

The race in Plouay suits him a lot better and this time he won’t wait for a sprint. There is no doubt that he will be part of the action in the finale and with Gilbert and Hermans at his side, BMC may have more than one rider in a group that makes it to the finish. Van Avermaet is the fastest of the trio and will be able to rely on the support from his teammates. That could make all the difference in a close sprint between the best classics riders and the uphill finishing straight suits him down to the ground. Among the classics riders, he is one of the fastest and with a strong team at his side, he is our favourite to win the race.

 

Usually, Sep Vanmarcke is only really a contender in the cobbled classics but recently he has shown himself in a wider range of races. Last year he rode strongly in the Canadian WorldTour races which are again his next big goals. However, he surprised himself by showing great condition in Hamburg where he attacked on the Waseberg and would have been in the mix for the sprint if he hadn’t been taken out by a crash. Most recently, he rode very strongly in the Tour du Poitou-Charentes where he ended fourth overall due to the best time trial of his life, aggressive racing in the wind and great sprinting skills that saw him finish third twice and fourth once in the mostly flat stages.

 

The performance has made him confident for Plouay and the race in Britany should suit him really well. He is a relatively big guy who suffers on the long climbs but he has the ability to sprint up the climbs he will find in Plouay. Furthermore, he is very fast in a sprint as he proved when he beat Tom Boonen in the 2012 Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and he won’t be afraid to help keeping a late move alive. If he can use his energy a bit better than usual, he will be hard to beat in a sprint from a small group.

 

In case of a bunch sprint, Alexander Kristoff is obviously the man to beat. Already last year he proved that he can handle the course in Plouay when he won the sprint behind the successful breakaway. This year he has had an amazing spring season and even though he is unlikely to be able to follow the attacks in the finale, he will definitely be ready to sprint in the bunch.

 

Kristoff doesn’t seem to be in the same condition as he was 12 months ago. He didn’t have the same kind of success in the Tour and he failed to defend his title in Hamburg. However, he still managed to sprint to second behind an unbeatable Greipel so his form is not too bad. He is usually impossible to beat in a sprint after a hard race and he is climbing better than his rival sprinters, meaning that he will be in a much better position at the top of the final ascent which is important as there won’t be much time to get back to the front. As he is also very good at positioning himself and can rely on strong lead-out riders who may all make the selection, it is hard to imagine that anyone will be able to beat him in a sprint.

 

Trek go into the race with the same strategy as they had in Hamburg. Giacomo Nizzolo has to wait for the sprint while Fabio Felline will follow the attacks. The latter was riding really well in the Eneco Tour where he finished in the top 5 overall and confirmed that he has taken a massive step up in 2015. In Hamburg he was on the attack on the Waseberg before he positioned Nizzolo for the sprint. In the past, he has never really featured in the big one-day races but now he is evidently a lot stronger and should be able to follow the best in the final lap. Remember that he beat Michael Matthews in a sprint in Pais Vasco so there is a big chance that he will be the fastest from a late group.

 

Etixx-QuickStep had a highly successful Tour du Poitou-Charentes and go into this race with an even stronger team that has been joined by Tom Boonen. The Belgian and Matteo Trentin will wait for the sprint while it will be up to Julian Alaphilippe to join the attacks.

 

 Last year the Frenchman first start to show himself in major one-day races at this time of the year and he was part of the successful break in this race. This year he aims to do even better than his fifth place and he seems to be in good condition. He rode a very active race and was a key support rider for Trentin and Tony Martin, most notably in the final stage where he covered all attacks. In Plouay, he will be ready to go on the final lap and if he is in a small group, he won’t be easy to beat in a sprint.

 

Lotto Soudal also have one of the strongest teams for this race and they have three riders who will be strong enough to join attacks on the final lap. Tony Gallopins’ condition is uncertain and Tim Wellens is not very fast in a sprint so their best card is likely to be Tiesj Benoot. In his neo-pro season he has already proved that he can be up there with the best in the biggest classics, most notably in the Tour of Flanders. However, he has also proved that he can handle much hillier courses as he mixed it up in some of the mountain stages in the Dauphiné. Recently, he rode very strongly in the Eneco Tour where the queen stage was maybe a bit too hard for him. This race should suit him better and he would love to have rain in the finale. Most importantly, he has the speed to win from a small group.

 

In a sprint finish, Kristoff’s biggest rival is likely to be Giacomo Nizzolo. The Italian was already second in the bunch sprint last year and this year he is back in good condition. He was third in Hamburg after a disappointing Eneco Tour and should find the hillier course to his liking. He has proved that he can handle the strains and he will have a big advantage in the sprint which is usually highly disorganized. One team is rarely able to organize a lead-out but Nizzolo is excellent at positioning himself.

 

Another strong sprinter for this race is Arnaud Demare. The Frenchman came up short in Hamburg where he had to settle for sixth. However, he is riding very well at the moment which was evident by his great performance in the hardest stages of the Eneco Tour. With that kind of form, he should be able to stay with the best in this kind of terrain and he has the speed to beat Kristoff in a sprint. However, he usually suffers when it comes to positioning but a small field with several fast riders will be to his advantage.

 

Last year Elia Viviani proved that this course is not too hard for him but he failed to make it back to the front to do the sprint. Again it will be a big question whether the course will take too much out of his legs for the sprints but on paper he may even be the fastest rider in this race. He has an incredible speed as he recently proved by beating Greipel in the Eneco Tour and he can rely on Ben Swift to lead him out. Unfortunately, he is not good at positioning and this is a problem in this kind of disorganized sprint.

 

Tom Boonen returned to his sprinting glory by winning a stage in the Eneco Tour and this will have made him confident for this race which he has never done before. He is definitely strong enough to survive the climbs and he claims to be faster than ever. With Matteo Trentin, Yves Lampaert, Fabio Sabatini and Tony Martin, he has one of the best lead-outs in this race and that was what made the difference in Belgium earlier this month. He is not the fastest rider but he is always very strong at the end of a hard race.

 

On paper, this is a great race for Bryan Coquard. The Frenchman is a very good climber so he should easily handle this course. He proved his speed by finishing second in the final stage of the Tour and there is no doubt that he is one of the fastest in this race. However, he rode poorly in Norway and Poitou-Charentes and is clearly not at his best. Furthermore, he is not good at positioning which is a problem in this ind of confusing sprint.

 

Moreno Hofland was climbing really well in the Eneco Tour but was left frustrated in the sprints. He crashed out in Hamburg and had more bad luck in the Tour du Poitou-Charentes. Hence, he doesn’t really have the results that his condition deserves. However, Plouay could be his chance to make amends as the hilly course definitely suits him and with a smaller field, he should overcome the poor positioning that has hampered him recently. However, he is probably not fast enough to beat the best.

 

With Greipel taking a break, Jens Debusschere takes over sprinting duties for Lotto Soudal. The former Belgian champion was riding excellently in the Eneco Tour before he crashed in Hamburg. With that kind of form, he should be able to survive the climbs on this course and with Jurgen Roelandts at his side, he has one of the best lead-out men in the business.

 

On paper, this is a very good race for Juan Jose Lobato who has had a difficult year after he got it all off to such a great start. He climbs really well and is one of the fastest riders in this field. With a lack of team support, he has often come up short in the fight for position but with a smaller field, this race could be better for him. Unfortunately, he has been riding terribly in recent races and is clearly not in his best form.

 

Philippe Gilbert is the second important BMC card for the finale but he will have a harder time winning the race. The Eneco Tour proved that he is not at Van Avermaet’s level and his teammate is the fastest in a sprint. Hence, the former world champion may be asked to attack a little earlier to apply some pressure. Of course those efforts can still pay off as he is still one of the best riders in this terrain.

 

Things were looking really good for Matti Breschel in August until he crashed in the Eneco Tour. He bounced back with a top 10 in Hamburg but that race was too easy to see whether he still has the condition he showed in the Tour of Denmark. He is unlikely to be fast enough to win a sprint but if he has his best legs, he will be strong enough to follow attacks and then he will be one of the fastest in a sprint.

 

We are curious to see how Tony Gallopin does in this race. The Frenchman has only done the Olympic test event since he left the Tour with a small injury but a fourth place in that race showed good condition. In the Tour, he was climbing better than ever and even though he would have preferred a harder course, this race is good for him. Most importantly, he has the speed to win from a small group in the finale.

 

On paper, this is a great race for Michael Albasini as he is strong on short climbs and can even win bunch sprints in hard races. In this race, it will be left to Magnus Cort to do the sprint while the Swiss will have the task of following the attacks. He has just come back from injury so it remains to be seen whether he is already strong enough to join the moves. However, he was on the offensive in Hamburg so his form is not too far away.

 

Marco Marcato has never really been able to fulfill his lofty potential and his progress had clearly stopped. However, he has been riding a lot better since he joined the Wanty team and most recently he has been very strong in the Tour of Denmark and the Belgian one-day races. The queen stage in the Eneco Tour was too hard for him but this easier course should suit him a lot better. He has won bunch sprints in the past so there is no reason that he can’t win from a small group that escapes in the finale.

 

Astana have never had much success in these late-season races but for this race they have a strong contender. Alexey Lutsenko was really strong in Poland and the Eneco Tour and he aims to carry that momentum into a race that suits him well. He has never been up there in the classics before but with his improved level, he should be able to follow the attacks in the finale. Importantly, he is fast enough to finish it off.

 

A strong outsider is Florian Vachon. The Bretagne rider has come out of the Tour in excellent condition. Recently he was second in the Tour de l’Ain which should have been way too hard for him, and fourth in the Tour du Limousin. The time may have come when he can mix it up with the best in the attacks and he has a fast sprint.

 

Finally, Marcel Kittel of course deserves a mention. The German is by far the fastest rider in this field but even if he was at 100%, this course would probably have been too hard for him. He was unable to follow the best in Hamburg so in theory he should have no chance on this harder course. We will be very surprised if he makes it but his team has full confidence in him and will be riding for a sprint. If he is there and manages to get back into a good position, no one is going to beat him when it comes to pure speed.

 

***** Greg Van Avermaet

**** Sep Vanmarcke, Alexander Kristoff

*** Fabio Felline, Julian Alaphilippe, Tiesj Benoot, Giacomo Nizzolo, Tom Boonen Arnaud Demare, Elia Viviani

** Bryan Coquard, Moreno Hofland, Jens Debusschere, Juan Jose Lobato, Philippe Gilbert, Tony Gallopin, Matti Breschel, Michael Albasini, Marco Marcato, Alexey Lutsenko, Florian Vachon, Marcel Kittel

* Ben Swift, Davide Cimolai, Matteo Trentin, Magnus Cort, Heinrich Haussler, Samuel Dumoulin, Manuel Belletti, Grega Bole, Jurgen Roelandts, Borut Bozic, Ramunas Navardauskas, Diego Ulissi, Rasmus Guldhammer, Rui Costa, Simon Yates, Simon Clarke, Maciej Paterski, Simone Ponzi, Arthur Vichot, Paul Martens, Tim Wellens, Enrico Gasparotto, Jerome Baugnies, Anthony Roux, Michael Valgren, Wout Poels, Andriy Grivko, Ion Izagirre, Rudy Molard, Peter Kennaugh, Michael Rogers, Christopher Juul, Francesco Gavazzi, Pierrick Fedrigo, Jonathan Hivert, Quentin Jauregui, Bjorn Leukemans, Fabian Wegmann, Davide Rebellin, Thomas Voeckler, Warren Barguil, Alexis Vuillermoz, Romain Bardet, Dries Devenyns, Silvan Dillier, Ben Hermans, Jonas Van Genechten, Roy Jans, Christophe Laporte