"Great to see a rider like Wout work with a young talent like that"; Van Aert takes on support role in Germany

Team director Robert Wagner explained the team’s strategy on the squad’s website: “Matthew and Wout will both be responsible for delivering results. Matthew will get his chance in the sprints and Wout will be there to support him,” he said.

“Wout will lead him out in the sprints and share his experience with Matthew. It’s really great to see a rider like Wout working so closely with a young talent like Matthew. We’ll see how things unfold in the tougher stages,” added Wagner, who believes the third stage will be key for the general classification. “That looks like the real GC day. We hope to have several riders still in the mix going into the finale.”

“The team won’t shy away from attacking in the hillier stages, while Brennan will be protected for the sprint opportunities,” Visma | Lease a Bike said in a team statement. “Steven Kruijswijk and Tijmen Graat will handle the climbing, while Nikias Behrens and Mattise Van Kerckhove can go on the attack or help in the lead-out.”

For team director Robert Wagner, this edition of the race is extra special. “The final stage finishes in Magdeburg, that’s my hometown. So yes, it’s definitely very meaningful to me. It’s a great feeling to be able to coach this race in my home country. I’ll be riding those final local laps with goosebumps. It’s been a long time since we’ve had such a great cycling event in Magdeburg.”

Wout van Aert
Matthew Brennan
Tijmen Graat
Steven Kruijswijk
Niklas Behrens
Matisse van Kerckhove