5 days in Luxembourg Before the Worlds
The Skoda Tour de Luxembourg starts this Wednesday and will finish on Sunday, September 21, coinciding with the World Time Trial Championships in Kigali, Rwanda. This means that the riders present in Luxembourg will not be able to compete in the time trial. However, many of them will line up for the road race the following Sunday, for which the Skoda Tour de Luxembourg could serve as excellent preparation.
Route
The race features a route with three hilly stages (stages 1, 3 and 5) and an ITT on the fourth day. Stage 3, with the triple ascent of Niklosbierg (2.8 km at 9.2%), is expected to be the queen stage of the race.
Favorites
As mentioned, several riders on the start list will also compete a week later in the Kigali World Championships. These include** Richard Carapaz (1000), Mattias Skjelmose (800), Ben Healy (800)** and Marc Hirschi (600), all favorites for the general classification. Brandon McNulty (800), Romain Grégoire (800), Ethan Hayter (400), Søren Kragh Andersen (200), Toms Skujins (400), Aurélien Paret-Peintre (400), Davide Piganzoli (400), Jordan Jegat (400) and Tibor del Grosso (200) are also key names to watch.
Photo: © Skoda Tour de Luxembourg