Frans Maassen is looking forward to the French stage race Tour du Poitou Charentes. The Team LottoNL-Jumbo Sports Director wants his riders to ride freely and fight for their chances.

"Poitou Charentes is a good race,” Maassen said. “Because of the rolling roads and the heat it’s going to be a challenge. We’ll start with a motivated team. We have no real leader, every day, we’ll fight for it.”
 
Maassen expects a great battle.

“We face competition from Sky, Etixx-QuickStep and Movistar.”
 
Jos van Emden has already underlined the time trial on the third day after his stage victory in the Eneco Tour. The Dutchman won the 14-kilometre race against the clock in the Dutch-Belgian stage race. The TT in the Tour du Poitou Charentes is a little longer, 23 kilometres.
 
“I know the region and the course is probably a little more hilly,” Van Emden said. “I have to see how my shape is exactly, but I’ll definitely start the race with ambitions. During the Eneco Tour, I noticed that riders kept an eye on me during the TT. Now, they’ll  watch me even more. I see it as a recognition. A few years ago, this was building pressure, now it motivates me.”
 
The Tour du Poitou Charentes is also an important preparation for the Worlds road race in Richmond for Van Emden.

“It’s good to ride a stage race in the run up to the Worlds.”
 
Team line-up:
Twan Castelijns, Jos van Emden, Moreno Hofland, Steven Lammertink, Nick van der Lijke, Paul Martens, Sep Vanmarcke and Robert Wagner.