Mixed fortunes for Quick Step as one aggressive rider in and one out
The Belgian Quick Step team will line up for the Clasica Ciclista San Sebastian this Saturday with defending champion Carlos Barredo but without Sylvain Chavanel, the Tour de France’s most aggressive rider. The Frenchman, who won two Tour stages earning the yellow jersey both times, has been sidelined due to an infection of one of the toenails on his right foot.
“I’ve had this problem since the last stages of the Tour,” explained Chavanel. “On Tuesday I rode in a Criterium, which is a short race that lasts about an hour, but the pain was too strong and the foot swelled up; so at the moment it’s unthinkable that I can take part in a high level race like San Sebastian. The team and I have agreed that I shouldn’t participate in the Spanish classic so I don’t risk compromising the season finale.”
Chavanel will instead resume competition at the Tour du Limousin, which starts on August 17th; his place in the team for San Sebastian will be taken by Mauro Facci.
Barredo himself should be in good condition to defend his San Sebastian title, after an aggressive Tour de France – in more ways than one. He was unlucky to be caught just one kilometre from the finish line, after attacking with 45km to go, by the rest of the breakaway group on stage 16 to Pau.
The event that he will most be remembered for in this year’s Tour though – and one that will no doubt be re-run many times in sports bloopers shows – was the post-race fight that he had with Caisse d’Epargne’s Rui Costa after stage 6.
Quick Step team for Clasica Ciclista San Sebastian:
Carlos Barredo, Jérôme Pineau, Kevin De Weert, Dries Devenyns, Mauro Facci, Francesco Reda, Jurgen Van de Walle and Maarten Wynants