Lotto Soudal pins Tour de France hopes on 'one of the fastest riders of the peloton', Caleb Ewan
Caleb Ewan, Philippe Gilbert, Andreas Kron and Tim Wellens all make the team's Tour de France lineup


The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!
Thank you for signing up to The Pick. You will receive a verification email shortly.
There was a problem. Please refresh the page and try again.
Lotto Soudal has confirmed its Tour de France line-up with the intention of targeting stage wins once racing gets underway.
Australian sprinter Caleb Ewan will form a major part of the Belgian team's strategy, the 27-year-old will lock horns with Fabio Jakobsen (Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl) and Wout Van Aert (Jumbo Visma) in the hunt for victories on the race's sprint stages.
“With Caleb Ewan we have one of the fastest riders of the peloton, he is our biggest chance on a stage win," explained Lotto CEO John Lelangue. "Therefore we have made sure he is well surrounded with Reinardt Janse van Rensburg, Frederik Frison, Florian Vermeersch and Brent Van Moer," he added.
The five-time Tour de France stage winner's 2022 successes include stage wins at the Tour of Turkey, Tirreno-Adriatico, and the Saudi Tour. With Lotto currently facing World Tour relegation, Ewan's performance will be crucial to the team in the months ahead.
There are also places for Philippe Gilbert, Tim Wellens and Andreas Kron who will all target the hillier stages, where the likes of Ewan will be out of contention.
Looking at the Tour de France 2022 route, with stage five's cobbles finishing in Arenberg, Florian Vermeersch and Brent Van Moer also make the team.
Vermeersch finished second to Sonny Colbrelli (Bahrain Victorious) at the 2021 Paris Roubaix and will certainly be one to watch on stage 5. South African rider Reinardt Janse van Rensburg and Frederik Frison also make the cut for the team.
Lelangue highlighted the strength in depth of the Lotto squad and their ability to be involved on varied terrain “With these 8 we can play our part on almost every terrain in this Tour de France.” he said. The team are expected to be competitive throughout the Tour with a particular eye on stage 5.
Lotto will be looking at getting riders into good breakaway opportunities meaning the focus isn’t all on Ewan to perform.
He added: "Those last two will also definitely have highlighted the cobbled stage to Arenberg. Furthermore, Philippe Gilbert, Andreas Kron and Tim Wellens have proven the last weeks to be in a very good shape. They will definitely be active in the more difficult stages and be present in breakaways.”
Thank you for reading 20 articles this month* Join now for unlimited access
Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
*Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription
Join now for unlimited access
Try first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
Get The Leadout Newsletter
The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!
Tom is a News and Features Writer at Cycling Weekly, and previously worked in communications at Oxford Brookes University. He has reported from a wide range of races and events including the Tour de France and World Championships.
-
-
'They aren't just good, they're brilliant' - Meet Great Britain's junior super-talents
There’s a golden generation of women coming through the GB ranks
By Tom Davidson Published
-
Primož Roglič confirms he will leave Jumbo-Visma
Giro d'Italia champion does not reveal his destination for 2024 yet, though
By Adam Becket Published
-
Mark Cavendish to postpone retirement and ride on with Astana Qazaqstan, reports
British sprinter reported to have reached agreement with current team to continue racing in 2024
By Tom Thewlis Published
-
In memoriam: Tadej Pogačar's white jersey domination
After 81 days in the young rider's jersey at Grand Tours, the Slovenian has grown up
By Adam Becket Published
-
'They race like juniors': How men's pro cycling is getting wilder and races refuse to slow down
Racing from the gun during a three week Grand Tour is a big ask for even the best and the strongest. Is this the new cycling?
By Adam Becket Published
-
Remco Evenepoel hopes to 'steal' Jonas Vingegaard's secrets at Vuelta a España as he looks to 2024 Tour de France
Belgian aiming for second Vuelta a España triumph over the next three weeks, but faces stiff opposition
By Tom Davidson Published
-
WorldTour teams have an extra three years to halve carbon emissions before losing license - UCI clarifies
A carbon emissions tracker has been introduced and it is mandatory for all stakeholders to use it
By Chris Marshall-Bell Published
-
‘I really like city street racing’ - Tadej Pogačar on the ‘enjoyable’ World Championships road race course
Slovenian two-time Tour de France winner took bronze behind rainbow jersey winner Mathieu van der Poel
By Tom Thewlis Published
-
Opinion: Mark Cavendish Netflix documentary shows why Tour de France return is in doubt
Manxman's route out of depression shows what's really important
By Vern Pitt Published
-
UCI carried out 997 checks for motor doping at Tour de France, all came back negative
837 tests carried out at stage start using magnetic tablets, 160 at stage finishes using either backscatter or x-ray transmission technology
By Tom Thewlis Published