Team DSM takes two Dutchmen to Tour, AG2R leaves Van Avermaet at home | Tour de France

Bardet was the team’s GC hope in the Giro d’Italia, but the Frenchman had to leave that round in the second week due to illness. Tusveld, the Italian Alberto Dainese and the Australian Chris Hamilton are also doing the ‘double’ Giro-Tour. The other selected riders are the Norwegian Andreas Leknessund and the American Kevin Vermaerke.

,,We are really looking forward to the Tour,’ says sports director Matt Winston. ,,Our main goal is to book stage victories. We will make a daily plan for that. We have a motivated group with a lot of ambition. We want to participate in the daytime success, both in the sprint stages and when there is a climb.”

For the 24-year-old Eekhoff it will be his second Tour participation after last year. Tusveld makes his debut. The 28-year-old Utrechter has already ridden the Vuelta three times and the Giro twice. Dainese won a stage in the Giro last month, Leknessund succeeded last week in the Tour of Switzerland. The Dane Søren Kragh Andersen, two-time stage winner in the Tour of 2020, is not included in the Tour team. He will leave DSM at the end of this season, the team previously confirmed to VéloNews.

AG2R will start next week with Ben O’Connor as leader in the Tour de France. The 26-year-old Australian finished fourth last year and will be joined by Luxembourger Bob Jungels, among others. The Belgian Greg Van Avermaet was not selected for the Tour.

Van Avermaet (37) has been continuously present in the Tour de France since 2014 and is a two-time stage winner. Two of his compatriots were included in the team that will start next Friday in Copenhagen. That’s Stan Dewulf and Oliver Naesen.

The team also consists of the French Geoffrey Bouchard, Mikaël Cherel, Benoît Cosnefroy and Aurélien Paret-Peintre.