The debutant Wanty-Groupe Gobert team and 14 athletes equipped by Extreme RR will take part in the 104th Grande Boucle beginning July 1st. It will start from Düsseldorf (Germany) with a 14-Km individual time trial with the Champs-Elysées in Paris hosting the iconic finish on Sunday July 23rd.
CLIMBING PROSPECT MARTIN LEADS WANTY-GOBERT
More than strong rouleurs: the Wanty-Groupe Gobert team will count on one of the most promising French climbers, Guillaume Martin. The 24-year-old rider born in Paris, completed his rehearsal at the Criterium du Dauphine, where he showed brilliance in the most demanding ascents. Guillaume Van Keirsbulck and Yoann Offredo represent the top options for the flat stages, while Andrea Pasqualon is the man for the reduced sprints. Frederik Backaert, Thomas Degand, Marco Minnaard, Dion Smith and Pieter Vanspeybrouck round out the line-up of the Belgian squad.
MEINTJES AND KREUZIGER THE TOP GC OPTIONS
Louis Meintjes and Roman Kreuziger, overall eighth and tenth at the 2016 Tour de France, will try to lead Extreme RR high in GC overall standings. The 25-year-old South African rider of the UAE Emirates Team, a favorite for the Youth Classification, showed excellent condition at the Criterium du Dauphine, while 31-year-old Kreuziger will bring his wealth of experience to ORICA-Scott. More Northwave riders taking part at the Tour de France is key setup man of Marcel Kittel, Fabio Sabatini (Quick-Step Floors), teammate Jack Bauer and Italian Marco Marcato (Team UAE Emirates).
DREAMING IN YELLOW WITH NORTHWAVE EXTREME RR
Extreme RR (Road Race) is the most performing model ever produced by Northwave: a new design, a stiffer sole and, above all, the revolutionary XFrame® patented technology, eliminating the long-time issue of many riders: the points of pressure of the upper on the foot. What makes Extreme RR a game changer is the combination of such ultra-soft and comfortable materials with a redesigned closure that sets new benchmarks in terms of fit uniformity around the entire foot.
A NEW SOCK FOR THE WANTY TEAM: NORTHWAVE EXTREME AIR
In addition to the Extreme RR shoes, the Wanty riders will wear the Extreme Air socks characterized by the new yellow-fluo color and the Meryl Skinlife yarn that provides bacteriostatic natural balance and odour-free performance, whilst the super-breathable openwork knit on the entire surface grants amazing airflow.
Onigo di Pederobba (Italy), June 29th, 2017
