Devolder rides Tour stages

Quickstep's Stijn Devolder, winner of the Tour de Flanders 2008, has been checking out the roads of the major Pyrenean and Alpine stages that will characterise the upcoming Tour de France.

Stijn Devolder, winner of the Tour de Flanders 2008 - Pic fotoreporter sirotti

The intention was to ride the ninth stage, Toulouse to Bagnères-de-Bigorre, followed by the Pau Hautacam in the Pyrenness and then travel on to the Alps.

“This training period - explains DS Dirk Demol - will serve to help Stijn get to know the roads of the Tour, but also to regain his confidence on the major climbs. Up until today he hasn’t participated in a race with important climbs. This training period will be important; to do a good Tour you should leave nothing to chance.”

“This will be my first Tour - explains Devolder - and I’m curious to discover the roads. For me it’s an honour and a great chance to race in the Tour with a group like team Quickstep, where I feel perfectly at ease. These workouts will definitely be useful for me.”.

On Sunday May 19, Devolder got to ride the Pyrenees stage at Hautacam, pedalling for five and a half hours and taking on the Col du Tourmalet. Unfortunately Devolder had to stop at about 1.5 km from the top of Tourmalet due to snow.. In spite of the unfavourable weather conditions, he was able to tackle the Hautacam climb.

“I’m satisfied with the work we’ve done - comments Sports Director Demol - , in two days, we’ve put together about ten and a half hours of training. Stijn is pedalling really well. Too bad about the lousy weather, but unfortunately this factor is always a part of the game.”