Less than a month after its historic Tour de France, the Intermarché-Wanty team will start La Vuelta this Saturday, August 17th in Lisbon, with the aim of reaching Madrid on September 8th, in the hope of securing a stage victory for the fourth consecutive year and a top 10 finish overall.
Jean-François Bourlart’s team has experienced success in the last three editions thanks to the victories of Rein Taaramäe (2021), Louis Meintjes (2022) and Rui Costa (2023), but also for having worn the red leader’s jersey in the general classification for eleven days with Taaramäe and Odd Eiking during its first participation.
On Saturday, the third and final Grand Tour of the season for the Belgian WorldTeam will kick off in Portugal with a 12-kilometer individual time trial. True to its reputation, La Vuelta offers an edition with a significant amount of climbing, with nine summit finishes, including the famous Cuitu Negru and Lagos de Covadonga.
Led by Steven De Neef, Pieter Vanspeybrouck and Sébastien Demarbaix, the Intermarché-Wanty selection includes four Belgians, two of whom are contesting their first Grand Tour, as well as two stage winners in La Vuelta.
Winner at Les Praeres in 2022 and tenth in the same edition, Louis Meintjes will lead the team for the general classification. The South African is coming off a Tour de France in ascending form, regularly attacking in the third week. This season, he obtained his second WorldTour victory at the Tour of the Basque Country in April.
The other stage winner is Rein Taaramäe, at the start of his twentieth Grand Tour. In 2021, he became the first rider for the team to wear the leader’s jersey in a Grand Tour thanks to his success at Picon Blanco, an ascent that will be featured again this year as the penultimate stage before the arrival in Madrid.
Among the four Belgians in the selection are the climber Kobe Goossens and the sprinter Arne Marit. Both have regained their best form after several months of absence due to injury, with Goossens having several top 10 finishes in the WorldTour this season and coming off his second Tour de France.
For the sprint finishes, Arne Marit is contesting his second Grand Tour after the Giro 2023 where he notably obtained a fourth place in San Salvo on the second day. This year, Marit has finished on the podium twice, second in sprints at the Tour of Valencia and the Tour of Catalonia.
The other two Belgians are the newcomers to the selection, the puncher Vito Braet and the support Tom Paquot. The former has made a strong impression this year for his debut in the WorldTour peloton, finishing second in the Figueira Champions Classic behind Remco Evenepoel, third at the Tour of Valencia, in addition to multiple placings in the classics and the Tour of the Basque Country.
Finally, the Italians Simone Petilli and Lorenzo Rota complete the selection. Both men have come close to victory in a Grand Tour with Intermarché-Wanty, respectively third at the Giro 2023 in Gran Sasso, and second at the Giro 2022 in Genoa. The experienced Petilli is starting his eighth Grand Tour, while Rota is discovering the Vuelta after five Giro and one Tour de France.
Aike Visbeek (Performance Manager):
“We have set ourselves the same objective as for our historic Tour de France. We are aiming for a stage victory and a top 10 finish in the general classification with Louis Meintjes. This edition of La Vuelta is particularly demanding with a significant amount of climbing. That’s why we have put together a selection mainly focused on our climbers.”
“Louis Meintjes finished the Tour de France very strongly, gaining momentum in the third week. We hope he continues his progression and reaches the top 10 of the final classification. Lorenzo Rota, Kobe Goossens and Rein Taaramäe are three riders capable of achieving a stage victory, on the offensive on the many hilly profiles.”
“For the sprints, we will play the Arne Marit card. We are delighted that he is back to his level after a long injury. Tom Paquot and Simone Petilli are the valuable support riders. Simone brings his experience while Tom is one of our two Belgian newcomers in a Grand Tour, with Vito Braet. Vito is evolving to become an important support rider for the team. He is ready for the next step in his career, in the event of a bunch sprint with a difficult profile for Arne, we have another card to play with Vito. Our two newcomers will lead Arne Marit for our all-Belgian sprint train.”
Braet Vito
Goossens Kobe
Marit Arne
Meintjes Louis
Paquot Tom
Petilli Simone
Rota Lorenzo
Taaramäe Rein
17/08 Stage 1: Lisboa-Oeiras (12km) ITT
18/08 Stage 2: Cascais-Ourém (191km)
19/08 Stage 3: Lousã-Castelo Branco (182km)
20/08 Stage 4: Plasencia-Pico Villuercas (167km)
21/08 Stage 5: Fuente Del Maestre-Sevilla (170km)
22/08 Stage 6: Carrefour Jerez Sur. Jerez De La Frontera-Yunquera (181km)
23/08 Stage 7: Archidona-Córdoba (179km)
24/08 Stage 8: Úbeda-Cazorla (159km)
25/08 Stage 9: Motril-Granada (178km)
26/08: Rest day
27/08 Stage 10: Ponteareas-Baiona (160km)
28/08 Stage 11: Campus Tecnológico Cortizo.Padrón-Campus Tecnológico Cortizo (164km)
29/08 Stage 12: Ourense Termal-Estación De Montaña De Manzaneda (133km)
30/08 Stage 13: Lugo-Puerto De Ancares (171km)
31/08 Stage 14: Villafranca DelBierzo-Villablino (199km)
01/09 Stage 15: Infiesto-Valgrande-Pajares. Cuitu Negru (142km)
02/09: Rest Day
03/09 Stage 16: Luanco-Lagos De Covadonga (181km)
04/09 Stage 17: Monumento Juan De Castillo Arnuero-Santander (143km)
05/09 Stage 18: Vitoria-Gasteiz-Maeztu-Parque Natural De Izki (175km)
06/09 Stage 19: Logroño-Alto De Moncalvillo (168km)
07/09 Stage 20: Villarcayo-Picón Blanco (171km)
08/09 Stage 21: Madrid-Madrid (24,6km) ITT
