Samuel Sánchez will make his return to racing at the second race of the Ardennes Classics series, La Flèche Wallonne.
BMC Racing Team Sports Director Jackson Stewart said the team will work for Sánchez and Dylan Teuns for the overall win.
Watch online La Fleche Wallonne this Wednesday on Cycling Today, here.
“This year’s course is a little easier than previous editions with a few less climbs, but as is tradition at La Flèche Wallonne, it will probably come down to the last climb, the final ascent of the Mur de Huy. It’s a demanding course so it will be the top climbers left at the end,” Stewart explained.
“We will line up with Samuel Sánchez and Dylan Teuns as our main contenders. They have both had decent results here in the past. We saw at De Brabantse Pijl and Amstel Gold Race that Dylan is riding really well and Samuel had great form before his crash in Pais Vasco and he seems to have recovered well. I think with the team we have, we can manage a good result on Wednesday.”
Teuns is confident ahead of La Flèche Wallonne where the course is well-suited to his racing abilities.
“The climbs at La Flèche Wallonne are longer than those at De Brabantse Pijl and Amstel Gold Race so they suit me better. It is my third time racing and I already had a good result where I just missed out on the top ten. I was really happy with this result in 2015 and I think my preparation is even better this year. I feel that my form is really good and I’m coming up to the top level so I hope I can be there on the Mur de Huy,” Teuns said.
Sánchez is looking forward to racing at La Flèche Wallonne following his crash at Pais Vasco in early April.
“My sensations on the bike are good and I would like to use La Flèche Wallonne to check my physical condition, in particular the recovery of my hand. My recovery has been a miracle but very laboured, both physically and mentally. I love the Ardennes and I really wanted to come back for them, so La Flèche Wallonne will be a good opportunity to see where I am at now at this point in the season.”
BMC Roster in Fleche Wallonne: Alessandro De Marchi (ITA), Silvan Dillier (SUI), Floris Gerts (NED), Ben Hermans (BEL), Amaël Moinard (FRA), Samuel Sánchez (ESP), Michael Schär (SUI), Dylan Teuns (BEL).
