Intermarché-Lotto has finalised its selection for the Tour de France. With Arnaud De Lie, Lennert Van Eetvelt, Jenno Berckmoes, Georg Zimmermann and debutants Baptiste Veistroffer, Liam Slock, Huub Artz and Lars Craps, the team boasts a strong line-up in the battle for stage victories.
Experience mixed with a handful of firsts. A combination of powerful riders and agile climbers. Five Belgians, one Dutchman, one Frenchman and one German. That is the recipe with which Intermarché-Lotto heads to the Grand Départ in Barcelona. This year, the team brings a particularly versatile squad in excellent form and hungry for stage wins.
The countdown can begin; everyone knows what needs to be done between Barcelona and Paris. With Arnaud De Lie, Intermarché-Lotto naturally has its sprinter in the ranks. De Lie impressed last month at the Tour de Wallonie and, after his Giro d’Italia was cut short due to illness, put in many valuable training kilometres over the past few weeks. The team leader will be supported by Jenno Berckmoes and Huub Artz in his lead-out train. Road captain Berckmoes demonstrated his outstanding form and sprinting abilities at the Baloise Belgium Tour, but will also have opportunities of his own in this Tour de France. Stage two, in particular, from Tarragona to Barcelona, suits him perfectly. Newly crowned Dutch time trial champion Huub Artz will make his Tour debut after building towards top form at the Tour de Suisse two weeks ago.
French breakaway king
The 2026 Tour de France promises to be an extremely demanding edition, and so Intermarché-Lotto naturally brings its climbers to Spain as well. Team leader Lennert Van Eetvelt can get to work almost immediately after the opening team time trial, with stage two already offering an opportunity, while stage six, from Pau to Gavarnie-Gèdre, is also tailor-made for him. Like De Lie, Van Eetvelt had to abandon the Giro after breaking a finger in a crash. He is eager for redemption. He will be supported by, among others, Lars Craps. After finishing an impressive fourteenth overall in the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, he is determined to make the most of a season that only began in mid-May due to a knee injury. Craps is still fresh and can play an important role in the mountain stages. While Craps will make his debut, Georg Zimmermann is preparing for his sixth Tour de France. ‘Gigi’ has already collected several top-ten finishes from breakaways, and his victory in Frankfurt proves he would love to add a few more.
Finally, with Liam Slock and Baptiste Veistroffer, the team has two more powerful riders in its ranks. Veistroffer is gradually becoming the French version of breakaway king Thomas De Gendt. This season, he travelled from Down Under to Oman, the UAE, Belgium, the Basque Country, Hainan and France, and besides accumulating the most travel kilometres, he has also spent more time in breakaways than anyone else. Among other things, it earned him a stage victory in the Tour of Oman. Veistroffer is a true entertainer. The same can be said of Liam Slock, who introduced himself to the cycling world at the finish line of the GP Gippingen. His crash there was certainly memorable, but even more remarkable was his victory against such renowned names. Slock missed the Giro due to illness following Famenne and will seize his opportunity whenever it presents itself.
Kurt Van de Wouwer, Sports manager: “Where previous editions traditionally started in a nervous and chaotic way, this year things will be different, with climbing on the menu right from the start. That is good news for riders like Lennert Van Eetvelt. De Lie’s first real opportunity only comes in stage five. He has strong riders around him, and we believe in our chances. We are fielding a very young team, with every rider under thirty years of age. At the same time, someone like Zimmermann is already starting his sixth Tour. This is an interesting squad, with strong engines such as Baptiste, Lars and Liam. They are riders who can handle the demands of a Tour that is becoming faster and tougher every year, where even seemingly straightforward transition stages produce spectacular racing. We won’t be sitting on the fence this year. We have no ambitions for the general classification; our focus is entirely on stage victories and strong results.”
Jean-François Bourlart, General manager: “I am delighted with the team we are sending to this 113th Tour de France. It is the most important race of the year, not only for our main partner, the National Lottery, but especially for our French title sponsor, Intermarché. We are therefore very pleased to see our riders once again wearing the Intermarché-Lotto jersey. Selecting the team is never easy, and every year difficult decisions have to be made, but we believe we are sending the riders in the best possible form to Barcelona. Liam Slock has made tremendous progress over the past few weeks, Lars Craps rode an excellent Dauphiné, and while Baptiste Veistroffer may seem like a surprise inclusion, the Frenchman will be a key asset for us. We are fully prepared.”
Intermarché-Lotto selection:
Arnaud De Lie
Lennert Van Eetvelt
Jenno Berckmoes
Baptiste Veistroffer
Huub Artz
Liam Slock
Georg Zimmermann
Lars Craps
Sports Directors:
Mario Aerts
Pieter Vanspeybrouck
Kurt Van de Wouwer
