Traditionally known as ´Opening Weekend´, Team Jayco AlUla head to the first WorldTour race on European soil, Omloop Het Nieuwsblad followed by Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne on Sunday. West Australian cobbled classics specialist, Luke Durbridge will lead the team with knowledge and experience while looking for opportunities to be amongst the best in the final.
Beginning in Gent, the iconic one-day race in Belgium will feature a gruelling 202kms and tackle twelve climbs and nine flat cobble sectors. The infamous Muur van Geraardsbergen and Bosberg in the last 16kms precedes the fast dash to the line in Ninove.
Former American Time Trial Champion, Lawson Craddock, and Scandinavian duo, Chris Juul-Jensen and Amund Grøndhahl Jansen will play a vital part of the engine room, supporting and looking for opportunities in the final alongside Durbridge.
New to the GreenEDGE team, 22-year-old Danish youngster, Anders Foldager will be looking to gain valuable experience from his peers in this style of racing.
Rounding out the squad and coming fresh off the Australian Summer of racing, Blake Quick and Campbell Stewart will be eager to find their feet again in the cobbled classics and get back into the European racing. Fast finisher, Max Walscheid will start his classics campaign on Sunday with the team in Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne.
Luke Durbridge:
“Nieuwsblad and Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne, will be my first races back in Europe and the first taste of the classics. I´m looking forward to it as I had a good tour in Oman and had some good feelings there. I had a different build up to the season with not doing the Aussie summer, but I feel refreshed and ready to hop into the European season. We´ve got a lot of guys in opening weekend going well and a few new guys in the team too. It´s all about just getting back on the cobble stones, getting used to the style of racing and the equipment. I´ve done opening weekend enough times now that I´m going there not just to get experience, I´m going there to be aggressive, get in breakaways, get up the road and try to race in the final in whatever way possible. ¨
Tristan Hoffman – Sport Director
“In general it´s a different way of racing in Belgium. It´s the opening weekend so all the riders are excited to race. Everybody will have the opportunity to do something, get in the early breaks, hang in there and have some riders up for the final. It´s a hard way of racing and not easy so everyone will get a chance in Nieuswblad. We have Max coming in for Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne who we will support if the race comes down for a bunch finish. ¨
Omloop Het Nieuwsblad Line-up:
Lawson Craddock (USA)
Luke Durbridge (AUS)
Anders Foldager (DEN)
Amund Grøndhahl Jansen (NOR)
Chris Juul-Jensen (DEN)
Blake Quick (AUS)
Campbell Stewart (NZL)
Kuurne-Burssels-Kuurne:
Luke Durbridge (AUS)
Amund Grøndhahl Jansen (NOR)
Chris Juul-Jansen (DEN)
Blake Quick (AUS)
Campbell Stewart (NZL)
Max Walscheid (GER)
