“I believe in Soudal-Quick Step, but because of all those other expensive birds there is simply no room for them”, Ine Beyen defends herself when asked why there is no one from the Lefevere team in her team.
“I would love to put Yves Lampaert in my team. But I wouldn’t know who to throw out.”
With Zdenek Stybar, Ine Beyen does have a pawn in her team who wore the Quick Step shirt last year. “I always take Zdenek with me because he is an underdog.”
“Moreover, he will be extra stimulated because he is no longer with Soudal-Quick Step. The new air at Jayco-AlUla can be an extra trigger to score.”
Also striking is a trio of Bingoal-Wallonie Bruxelles in Beyen’s team: Guillaume Van Keirsbulck, Floris De Tier and Ceriel Desal.
“Guillaume has been brought in as the leader for the classics. If he really sets his mind to something, he often rides at the front in those races. Who knows, maybe it will all work out for him in a race.”
But there is another reason why Van Keirsbulck made the selection. “His sister is my beautician in De Haan. But she couldn’t give me much inside information about Guillaume.”
With Pogacar, Van der Poel, Van Aert, Pidcock, Girmay and De Lie, Beyen takes almost all the big guns with him.
Especially Tadej Pogacar – despite his cancellation for the Strade Bianche – does not want to kick her out of her team.
“His manager Alex Carera has never won the Tour of Flanders with one of his riders,” says Beyen. “Pogacar wants to change that this year.”
