Returning to Yorkshire will be quite a celebration.  Professional cyclists were already welcomed with great enthusiasm by the British crowds for the first three stages of the Tour de France last year, which means that the pro peloton does not have to hide its own pleasure at returning to the scene of their triumph.

“When I saw the pictures of the crowds last year at the Tour de France, I could not believe it,” Matteo Pelucchi explained.  “It looked incredible; I’ve never seen that before.  You could see that there was a real passion for cycling, and I think that it must give you an extra gear when you are on your bike riding through it.”
 
Having suffered a bad crash at the Tirreno-Adriatico, Pelucchi, who is IAM Cycling’s prime sprinter, has now fully recovered.  For two weeks he joined his teammates at an altitude training camp in the Sierra Nevada, so now Matteo Pelucchi feels completely motivated to be heading to the Tour of Yorkshire.  

“My preparation has been a little delayed because of my crash at Tirreno,” Pelucchi said.  “But the training camp helped me find my good condition again.  I am ready for the races.  I really want to get back into the swing of things so that I can compare myself to the others before the Giro.”
 
He will certainly have the chance to compare himself on the first stage since it will offer a rolling arrival which will likely fall to the sprinters.  The Swiss professional team will consequently be counting on their Italian fast man, but will also have the luxury of having other riders like Jonas Vangenechten in the mix.  If the stages end up being tougher than expected, then the Belgian rider will have a free hand to try his luck in the final sprint.  However, the last stage of the three day race will more than likely be won by a punchy climber. 

“It’s never easy, but it’s not too hard either,” Pelucchi said.  “The first two days will hopefully suit me because they are pretty flat.  I’ll see how well I can go in the sprint, but the last stage will end in Leeds and be a bit more like a Liège-Bastogne-Liège. Last year Nibali won on a similar route.  For me, the hardest part about getting a result at this race is that it suits the qualities of many different riders.  That will mean that it will be a nervous race since so many guys will feel they have a chance to win.” 

Riders:
Thomas Degand (Bel)
Sondre Holst Enger (Nor)
Simon Pellaud (S)
Matteo Pelucchi (It)
Vicente Reynes (Sp)
Patrick Schelling (S)
Jonas Van Genechten (Bel)