Sylvain Chavanel will line up at the head of the Omega Pharma-Quick Step team in tomorrow’s Brabantse Pijl, as he looks to put the disappointment of Sunday’s Paris-Roubaix behind him. The former French champion started the race wearing dosard number one, in lieu of 2012 winner Tom Boonen, but a technical problem in the latter stages meant that he missed the decisive move and he finished a disappointed 19th.
Omega Pharma-Quick Step had two riders in the leading group of four that entered the final 20km, but two separate incidents with fans on the Carrefour de l’Arbre cobbles saw both Stijn Vandenbergh and Zdeněk Štybar drop back; Netherlands champion Niki Terpstra took third place to salvage the team’s race.
“Chavanel, a former winner of the race, will ride after the unlucky Roubaix," said directeur sportif Rik Van Slycke. “If there will be the chance, he will try. The presence of Chavanel will be important for the team morale.
Chavanel won the 2008 edition of the Belgian semi-Classic, which bridges the cobbles races of the north with the hilly races of the south. With the form that he has shown so far this spring - taking a stage and the points jersey at Paris-Nice and the Driedaagse van De Panne-Koksijde, as well as coming very close in Milano-Sanremo - he has a good chance of repeating this.
Most of the rest of the team took part in the recent Vuelta al Pais Vasco.
“We have a solid team here,” said Van Slycke. “We will miss Dries Devenyns unfortunately, but the team is ready to do a great performance with riders coming from Pais Vasco, who are really motivated. Riders such as Jerome Pineau, Kevin De Weert, and Pieter Serry will be there, which gives us a solid unit. Our goal will be to be present in the final and try to play the cards we have. I am confident with our guys."
Omega Pharma-Quick Step team for Brabantse Pijl/Flèche Brabaçonne
Sylvain Chavanel, Kevin De Weert, Nikolas Maes, Jérôme Pineau, Pieter Serry, Kristof Vandewalle, Martin Velits and Julien Vermote