After the Quick Step team's somewhat disappointing Tour de France, the Belgian squad will be looking for a better run in the Vuelta a España, which begins Saturday. The team's Tour was hampered by the absence of sprinter Tom Boonen, who tested positive for cocaine in an out-of-competition control and was excluded from the race. Boonen, fresh from two wins in the Eneco Tour, will be ready to contend for the stage wins in Spain.
Boonen's lead-out train will include of Kevin Van Impe, who was not selected for the Tour de France, and 23-year-old Wouter Weylandt, who will be riding his first Grand Tour.
