Gravel in the Giro means Soudal Quick-Step focuses on Landa at Strade Bianche; Picnic PostNL ready to attack

Soudal Quick-Step has announced its selection for the Strade Bianche. The Belgian team has fond memories of the Italian one-day race, but their expectations will be very different this year. With Mikel Landa as their leader, the race in Tuscany is primarily intended as preparation for the Giro d'Italia, which also includes a gravel stage. Picnic PostNL's motto is to attack, attack, attack: they hope to anticipate with a young but versatile selection.

Landa will make his debut at this year's Strade Bianche. "It's a new race for me, and I'm excited because I have always loved watching it on TV," the Spaniard said in a press statement. "I know it will be completely different to be there on the course, in the thick of the action, and nervous, but I will try to do my best as I get my season underway and enjoy this experience."

The Basque will gain experience on the gravel roads in Tuscany, especially since he will be the leader in the Giro d'Italia. Like the one-day race next Saturday, the ninth stage will finish in Siena after 2500 meters of climbing and five gravel sections. The San Martino in Grania is the longest, with more than eleven kilometers of continuous unpaved terrain. In the Strade Bianche, Landa will be supported by Mattia Cattaneo, Gianmarco Garofoli, Pieter Serry, Mauri Vansevenant, Louis Vervaeke, and Dutch rider Pepijn Reinderink.

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Frank van den Broek is aiming for a nice result in the Strade Bianche.

"One of the most beautiful, but also one of the most difficult races"

Sports director Davide Bramati enjoyed success in Italy in 2014 and 2015 with victories for Michal Kwiatkowski and Zdenek Stybar. "It is one of the most beautiful races of the season but also one of the most difficult, and we are highly motivated to perform optimally and give it our all," the Italian says. "It won't be easy, and we are not the favorites, but we have a solid team that will be at the start after a few strong performances last week. So we are confident that we can compete for a good result."

Meanwhile, Picnic PostNL's goal is to be aggressive in the race. With Frank van den Broek and Max Poole, they have two young talents who are eager to get started in Tuscany. "Strade Bianche is a race like no other—dusty, relentless, and unpredictable," coach Matt Winston said in a press release. "The white roads of Tuscany will wear the peloton down, and we know the race will break apart gradually. Our focus is to anticipate the key moments with Max and Frank, making sure we're in the front when the race really opens up. If we're there in the deep final, we give ourselves the best chance for a good result."  

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