Mark Cavendish and Remco Evenepoel will be back in action in Deceuninck - Quick-Step colours, as they line up in Denmark next week.
British sprinter Cavendish has been resting since his phenomenal Tour de France, in which he won four stages and the green jersey, while Evenepoel has returned from his attack on the Olympic Games.
Both riders will be racing in Danmark Rundt, the Tour of Denmark, from August 10-14, where Deceuninck will target both sprints and the general classification.
Sports director Brian Holm said: “It’s an interesting course this year, with some sprint opportunities, a hard stage three in Vejle with a lot of hills and the final day individual time trial, which has the potential of deciding the general classification.
“Mark has a strong team for the sprints, where he’ll try to be in the mix, while Remco and Yves can go for a good result on the stage against the clock in Frederiksberg. We would like to notch up a victory next week, while for the overall we will just take it one day at a time and see how things go.”
As we approach the final few months of the season, the big question surrounding Cavendish revolves around whether he will sign a new contract with Deceuninck to be their main sprinter.
Relations between Deceuninck boss Patrick Lefevere and their current sprinter Sam Bennett have deteriorated over recent months, as Bennett is now leaving to re-join Bora-Hansgrohe for 2022.
Cavendish has been racing with the Belgian WorldTour team on a one-year contract, after fearing the premature end of his career last season.
>>> Tadej Pogačar opts out of Vuelta a España 2021 as he focuses on one-day races
But the Manxman has fired back to the top of the sport after a tough few years of illness, injury, and mental health struggles.
Now with nine wins to his name this year, Cavendish is likely to be the chosen sprinter for Deceuninck next year, if they can agree terms on a new contract.
Deceuninck - Quick-Step squad for the Tour of Denmark 2021
Shane Archbold (NZL)
Mark Cavendish (GBR)
Remco Evenepoel (BEL)
Iljo Keisse (BEL)
Yves Lampaert (BEL)
Michael Mørkøv (DEN)
Jannik Steimle (GER)
Alex is the digital news editor for CyclingWeekly.com. After gaining experience in local newsrooms, national newspapers and in digital journalism, Alex found his calling in cycling, first as a reporter and now as news editor responsible for Cycling Weekly's online news output.
Since pro cycling first captured his heart during the 2010 Tour de France (specifically the Contador-Schleck battle) and joining CW in 2018, Alex has covered three Tours de France, multiple editions of the Tour of Britain, and the World Championships, while both writing and video presenting for Cycling Weekly. He also specialises in fitness writing, often throwing himself into the deep end to help readers improve their own power numbers.
Away from journalism, Alex is a national level time triallist, avid gamer, and can usually be found buried in an eclectic selection of books.
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