Next Monday the Volta a Catalunya starts. It's the 94th edition of this WorldTour stage race of seven days, which finishes on Sunday the 30th of March. There's no flat stage, every day the riders have to climb.

 

The second stage to Girona and the sixth to Vilanova i la Geltru are best suited to end with a sprint. Crucial for GC will be day four with finish at ski station Vallter 2000. The last climb is twelve kilometers long and has an average gradient of 7.8%.

 

Barcelona is start and finish place on the final day. The race will be closed with eight local laps of 6.15 kilometers in the capital of Catalunya, in which each time the Montjuïc has to be climbed.

 

There will be many strong riders at the start in Spain with among others Alberto Contador, Chris Froome, Joaquim Rodriguez and Nairo Quintana. For Lotto Belisol Jurgen Van den Broeck will participate. This week he could resume the trainings after his crash in Tirreno-Adriatico. Bart De Clercq will be the man for GC. Dennis Vanendert and Tosh Van der Sande are the riders for the sprint.

 

"In any case we aim for a stage win," sports director Mario Aerts said. "Bart De Clercq is our GC rider. We aim for a top ten. It's a strong list of participants in Catalunya, almost the strongest of the entire year.

 

"Jurgen Van den Broeck comes back in action after his crash in Tirreno-Adriatico. We have to wait and see how he's doing and how his knee responds to racing. Sander Armée can help Bart and Jurgen uphill.

 

"We go to Catalunya partly with a young team; with Broeckx, Vallée, Van der Sande and Dennis Vanendert in the selection. Tosh Van der Sande rides well for the moment, in Nokere Koerse he stayed ahead very long. Also Dennis Vanendert was part of the front group last Wednesday. We count on them for the stages where a sprint will decide about the victory.

 

"It's most likely that the sixth stage ends with a sprint, I also think it's possible for the second one. The Volta a Catalunya is tough, but isn't going through the high mountains all the time. In the fourth stage to Vallter 2000 you can talk of a real 'col'."

 

Selection Lotto Belisol:

Sander Armée, Stig Broeckx, Bart De Clercq, Greg Henderson, Boris Vallée, Jurgen Van den Broeck, Tosh Van der Sande and Dennis Vanendert.