Warren Barguil will lead Giant-Alpecin in Fleche Wallonne and Liege-Bastogne-Liege

La Flèche Wallonne is the second of three Ardennes races in eight days for Team Giant-Alpecin. The parcours is littered with the short, sharp climbs that characterize the Ardennes, and it culminates with a mountain top finish, the Mur de Huy, 1.3km with an average gradient of 9.6%. 

Looking ahead to the race, coach Aike Visbeek said: "We head to Flèche Wallonne with a view to getting Warren in a good position at the foot of the steep finishing climb of the Mur de Huy, which suits his characteristics as a climber very well. He is in good shape at the moment and we will look to keep him protected throughout the day.

"The last 30km are very difficult and Simon's [Geschke] experience and course knowledge will be very valuable. Last year it was a very nervous race with a lot of crashes, so teamwork will be very important for both positioning and saving energy, as anything can happen."

Liège-Bastogne-Liège marks the final race of the spring classics and it is the final WorldTour one-day race before the Grand Tours get started. The parcours is 253km long and is considered as one of the most arduous with the riders tackling 10 steep climbs including the legendary Redoute with an average gradient of 8.4%. Team Giant-Alpecin heads to Liège after having raced the Flèche Wallonne this week and will be looking for a strong team performance in the 102nd edition.

Coach Aike Visbeek said: "With Warren and Simon in our team we have got two leaders who can achieve a top 10 result. They will have strong support from the rest of the team in getting them in position for the key climbs and keeping them out of trouble.

"The penultimate climb, new on the route, will make things interesting and should make sure the peloton is getting decimated towards the uphill finish. It's going to be a tough one, but I think the parcours will make it an open race. Our line-up holds both a mix of youth and experience. Johannes [Fröhlinger] is our road captain and with Sindre [Lunke] and Sam [Oomen] we have two monument debutants, both looking to gain experience to encourage their overall development."

LINE-UP FOR FLECHE WALLONNE

Warren Barguil (FRA)
Caleb Fairly (USA)
Johannes Fröhlinger (GER)
Simon Geschke (GER)
Chad Haga (USA)
Fredrik Ludvigsson (SWE)
Sam Oomen (NED)
Georg Preidler (AUT)

LINE-UP FOR LIEGE-BASTOGNE-LIEGE
Warren Barguil (FRA)
Caleb Fairly (USA)
Johannes Fröhlinger (GER)
Simon Geschke (GER)
Chad Haga (USA)
Fredrik Ludvigsson (SWE)
Sindre Skjøstad Lunke (NOR)
Sam Oomen (NED)