For the last time this season, the international peloton will travel to Belgium to compete in the final stage race in Europe for the 2015 season.  As a last chance to grab a result, the classics specialists who come away empty from Richmond will have a final opportunity to be noticed on the Franco-Belges cobbles.  

Though the race can be very difficult, it is typically not selective enough to discount the chances of a pure sprinter to win the overall classification. However, this year’s Eurométropole Tour may prove to be a surprise.  The trend from recent editions could certainly be turned upside down for this 75th anniversary event which will include a prologue as the opening stage.  The finish line for this first test will be placed at the top of Mont Saint-Aubert, and the uphill time trial will be quite a change from the terrain generally faced in the largely flat country. 

“In my view, this prologue will be decisive for the rest of the race,” Dries Devenyns explained.  “I know the area well since Mont Saint-Aubert is only fifteen kilometers from my home.  I think the sprinters will not be able to come away with a good time in the prologue, and it will be an opportunity for the other riders to gain precious seconds in the general classification.”

For this reason, the IAM Cycling team has been careful in considering which riders to bring.  In order to race with the chance to bring home a couple of stage wins, the Swiss professional team has decided to field a team capable of performing well on a variety of terrains. 

“We have every reason to have big ambitions for this race,” the Belgian Devenyns continued.  “With Heinrich Haussler, Matteo Pelucchi, Sondre Holst Enger and Jonas Van Genechten, it is obvious that we will try to win at least one of the sprinting stages.  And I think we have the qualities and resources to pull it off really well. But then we also have a rider like Matthias Brändle coming to the race, and he already has the prologue in his sights. 

"Personally, it is its novelty that made me want to come to this race.  I am sincerely happy to be starting this event, and I will do my best to get a good result starting Wednesday, and why not try to be among the best in the overall by the time we finish the race in Tournai on Sunday.  But first and foremost, I will ride according to what the team needs from me, since in order to succeed, we will need to ride as a united front.  That is something we have done well from the start of the season.”

Riders:

Matthias Brändle (Aut)

Dries Devenyns (Bel)

Heinrich Haussler (Aus)

Reto Hollenstein (S)

Sondre Holst Enger (Nor)

Matteo Pelucchi (It)

Aleksejs Saramotins (Lat)