Alaphilippe, Asgreen, Lampaert lead Soudal-QuickStep at Opening Weekend

Julian Alaphilippe co-leads Soudal-Quick Step at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad on Saturday
Julian Alaphilippe co-leads Soudal-Quick Step at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad on Saturday (Image credit: Getty Images)

Following the winter departure of several key riders including Fabio Jakobsen, Tim Declercq, and Rémi Cavagna, Soudal-QuickStep have unveiled their evolved Classics squad for the weekend's racing at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne.

Several familiar faces head up the Belgian team at Opening Weekend, with former Tour of Flanders champion and 2020 Kuurne winner Kasper Asgreen taking on both races. Julian Alaphilippe will also co-lead the team at the two races, making his debut at Kuurne.

Dani Ostanek
Senior News Writer

Dani Ostanek is Senior News Writer at Cyclingnews, joining in 2017 as a freelance contributor and later being hired full-time. Before joining the team, they had written for numerous major publications in the cycling world, including CyclingWeekly and Rouleur.

Dani has reported from the world's top races, including the Tour de France, Road World Championships, and the spring Classics. They have interviewed many of the sport's biggest stars, including Mathieu van der Poel, Demi Vollering, and Remco Evenepoel. Their favourite races are the Giro d'Italia, Strade Bianche and Paris-Roubaix.

Season highlights from the 2024 season include reporting from Paris-Roubaix –  'Unless I'm in an ambulance, I'm finishing this race' – Cyrus Monk, the last man home at Paris-Roubaix – and the Tour de France – 'Disbelief', gratitude, and family – Mark Cavendish celebrates a record-breaking Tour de France sprint win.