Soudal Quick-Step outlines roles for Merlier and Magnier in Renewi Tour, and heads to Germany with former winner

Both the Renewi Tour and the Lidl Deutschland Tour will start on Wednesday, August 20. In Germany, the team lines up with Ilan van Wilder, last year’s overall winner, as part of their six-man squad. The Belgian claimed the opening stage in 2023 and went on to secure the general classification three days later. This will be Van Wilder’s first race since finishing the Tour de France, where the 25-year-old helped teammate Valentin Paret-Peintre to victory on Mont Ventoux.

In the Tour of Germany, Van Wilder will be joined by Mattia Cattaneo, Pascal Eenkhoorn, Gil Gelders, Luke Lamperti and Andrea Raccagni. “We are going there with a nice and versatile team, and are really looking forward to this beautiful race,” said sports director Geert van Bondt in the preview. “The gaps will be very small after the prologue, but the second and the third stage should be the most important ones for the general classification, while the other two will be for the sprinters. Luke is our man for the fast finishes, as he’ll rely on a good lead-out to help him there, while for the overall standings, the plan is to take it day by day and see how things go and where we are.”

The Renewi Tour will start in the Netherlands. Unlike the German race, which opens with a prologue, there are no time trial kilometers here. Still, the course through the Netherlands and Belgium offers plenty of opportunities for time gaps. Soudal Quick-Step also expects several sprint finishes, bringing Tim Merlier as their designated sprinter.

Fresh off two stage wins in the Tour de France, Merlier will make his return to official road racing in the Renewi Tour. Since July, the European champion has ridden some post-Tour criteriums and recently placed third at the Belgian Gravel Championships. Joining him in the Renewi Tour are Ayco Bastiaens, Yves Lampaert, Paul Magnier, Dries Van Gestel, Bert Van Lerberghe and Warre Vangheluwe.

“We have a good team, capable of going for more goals this week,” said sports director Wilfried Peeters in the team's press release. “Tim is our man for the bunch sprints, while Paul can be in action and fight for good results on some of the hilly stages. We’re also happy to have Warre back after all this time, it will be nice for him to race with the guys again. The squad is a strong and motivated one and that gives us confidence we can have a solid week."