The Belgian team has had a phenomenal season to date with over 50 victories, and with 16 wins in the Eneco Tour in previous editions, they head to the race full of confidence.
"Eneco Tour won't be easy, with all the cobbles, hills and the two stages against the clock, but we are motivated to leave our mark on it," team director Tom Steels said in a press release.
The race contains a number of flat stages but with individual and team time trials, the event offers a number of chances for Etixx to shine. With the Worlds less than a month away Etixx will aim to make the most of the TTT – an event they have won at the Worlds in the past. The more immediate priority, however, will be wining stages at the Eneco Tour.
In Bob Jungles they also have a rider capable of competing for the overall. Since his breakthrough ride at the Giro d'Italia in May, the Luxembourg rider has eased himself back into racing after a break.
"We can be protagonists on the flat and in the time trials, so we hope to get some good results there, while in the overall we'll have several cards to play – with the likes of Bob, Tony and Niki – but we will take things day by day and see how it goes," Steels added.
Last year Tom Boonen won a stage in the Eneco Tour for Etixx QuickStep and the veteran rider has shown form in recent months with wins in the Ride London Classic and the Brussels Cycling Classic. He will head to the Worlds in Doha next month looking for his second world road title, 11 years after he won his first in Madrid. Marcel Kittel will go head to head with Andre Greipel in the sprints with both riders looking to claim leadership of the German team for Worlds.
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"I'm sure the race is going to be an exciting one and it will come down to the last stage, as the gaps won't be too big up until that point," Steels said.
