Denain as dress rehearsal for Tour de France
On Thursday, the Grand Prix de Denain is on the programme. The race between Lille and Valenciennes is also called little Paris-Roubaix, a nickname that is not stolen.
Like Paris-Roubaix, Denain starts with a long and flat opening phase. The first cobblestone sections follow after hundred kilometres. Then, in the last hundred kilometres, the peloton will ride over more than twenty kilometres of cobblestone lanes, spread over two identical loops. With Jonas Vingegaard and Primoz Roglic at the start, Team Jumbo-Visma makes it a "dress rehearsal" for the Tour de France. After all, this year's Tour also contains a cobbled stage.
"We want to ride a good race and especially learn a lot from it."
"We don't start here with the ambition to win", race coach Grischa Niermann explains. "We do want to ride a good race and especially learn a lot from it. That's why we chose this race as a kind of dress rehearsal for the Tour de France, and Jonas Vingegaard and Primoz Roglic will be at the start together. The race can also offer great opportunities for other riders on our team. If it turns out to be a sprint, we have, for example, David Dekker who can show himself. The Grand Prix de Denain is Lennard Hofstede's first race of the season and he is eager to ride. It would be nice if we get a good result on Thursday, but we particularly want to see how we can support Jonas and Roglic well."
The 63rd edition of the Grand Prix de Denain starts at 11:30am on Thursday and can be followed live on Eurosport 2 and via the Eurosport Player from 2pm.
Selection: David Dekker, Mick van Dijke, Pascal Eenkhoorn, Primoz Roglic, Timo Roosen, Jonas Vingegaard and Lennard Hofstede.
