Despite winning Liège-Bastogne-Liège last year, AG Insurance-Soudal will have to count on younger and less experienced riders in this year’s Ardennes Classics, with their Monument winner Kim Le Court-Pienaar sidelined with injury, alongside Belgian champion Justine Ghekiere.
Le Court-Pienaar had already had an unlucky spring with crashes at Strade Bianche and Milan-San Remo, but her misfortune intensified when a crash at the Tour of Flanders left her with a fractured wrist. This ruled her out of the Ardennes block where she made history last year, winning Liège to become Africa’s first Monument winner.
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“That’s an important part of our development. Different riders like Lore [De Schepper] can take on a more free role and aim for the finals. The Ardennes are less chaotic than the cobbled Classics. Those conditions suit us better and allow our strengths to come through. In the end, these races are very honest, the legs decide.”
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