The Blanco Pro Cycling Team will start the Amstel Gold Race this Sunday with a strong team to lead Bauke Mollema.
Despite a preparation that did not go according to plan, Sports Director Frans Maassen is cautiously optimistic in the run-up to the only Classic on Dutch soil.
“We did not have an ideal preparation,” according to Maassen who added, “In the Tour of the Basque Country, Bauke was supposed to be the leader with an eye out for the Ardennes Classics. However, he did not start the race as he spent the whole week in bed due to illness. That’s not what you’re looking for but Sep Vanmarcke also did not have the ideal preparation for Paris-Roubaix. His second place there is a real boost for the entire team.”
With a tenth place in the Amstel Gold Race, a seventh in the Brabantse Pijl and sixth in Liege-Bastogne-Liege, Mollema was geared up last year for the Ardennes. He is a hoping for a repeat this year. “I haven’t really raced in a couple of weeks and I am not sure exactly where I stand,” Mollema said, “but in the period before that, I felt very strong. On top of that, I’ve been able to train very well the past few days. What Sep did strengthens me as well. Secretly, I am already looking to Liege-Bastogne-Liege which is more my race but I believe I can also do well in the Amstel.”
Blanco has a bit of a dark horse in Tom-Jelte Slagter. It will be the first start for the Dutchman in Limburg but with his win in the Tour Down Under he is a force to be reckoned with. Slagter commented: “The route suits me: it is somewhat comparable to the stage I took in Australia. It’s just a hundred kilometres longer and a different group of riders. I am going to follow my instincts on this one. If I think I can play a role in the finish, I’ll go for it. If not, I’ll try to make myself useful to the team in another way – tagging along up front or supporting Bauke."
Blanco line-up for Amstel Gold Race:
Bauke Mollema, Tom-Jelte Slagter, Lars Boom, Laurens Ten Dam, Paul Martens, Lars-Petter Nordhaug, Bram Tankink and David Tanner.
Starting at 14.30 on Sunday you can follow the action from Amstel Gold Race live here on Cyclingquotes.com
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