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Quick-Step will back Kittel, Gilbert in Three Days of De Panne

By Cycling News

published 27 March 2017

German will focus on stage wins, with Belgians Gilbert and Devenyns going for overall results

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Marcel Kittel (QuickStep Floors) wins stage 5 of the Dubai Tour(Image credit: Bettini Photo)

Marcel Kittel in action during stage 3 at Paris-Nice(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)

Philippe Gilbert (Quick-Step Floors)(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)

Dries Devenyns after stage 1 at the Tour Down Under(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)

A reminder of the many wars that have been fought in the De Panne region(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)

Quick-Step Floors will back Marcel Kittel for the sprints, while Philippe Gilbert and Dries Devenyns will carry the general classification hopes into Three Days of De Panne when the race starts on Tuesday.

Paris-Nice: Kittel vows to bounce back after stage 3 disappointment

Gilbert shows old instincts remain intact at Dwars door Vlaanderen

Gilbert: I've rediscovered the feel for the cobbles

The opening day of the four-stage, three-day race will be a test for the Classics riders and a chance for the GC men to distance their rivals. The 205.5km route from De Panne to Zottegem takes the peloton over 11 classified climbs, including Leberg, Berendries, Ten Bosse and Muur van Geraardsbergen, which many of the riders will see Sunday at the Tour of Flanders.

The following two stages look suited to the sprinters, while the final stage is a 14.2km individual time trial that will provide an opportunity for the specialists in the race against the clock to claw back some time.

Gilbert, who is clearly on form after finishing second in both Dwars Door Vlaanderen and E3 Harelbeke, will look to establish his supremacy among the overall contenders on the opening day.

The team will focus on wins with Kittel in stage 2 and 3, where he'll benefit from the lead-out skills of Jack Bauer, Tim Declercq, Davide Martinelli, Maximiliano Richeze and Fabio Sabatini.

The big German has four wins so far this season at the Tour of Qatar and Abu Dhabi Tour, but he hasn't raced since abandoning Paris-Nice on the final day, and he'll be motivated to add to his 2017 tally so far.

Quick-Step Floors for Three Days of De Panne: Jack Bauer, Tim Declercq, Dries Devenyns, Philippe Gilbert, Marcel Kittel, Davide Martinelli, Maximiliano Richeze, Fabio Sabatini