Making the cut
Last December, Jumbo-Visma took the unusual step of naming their 2020 Tour de France squad seven months early. Adopting the arguably unsuccessful Movistar model of three co-leaders – Tom Dumoulin, Primo Roglič and Steven Kruijswijk – the rest of the Tour squad would comprise Wout van Aert, Tony Martin, Laurens De Plus, Sepp Kuss and Robert Gesink. Sports director Merijn Zeeman explained the rationale behind the decision at the team’s 2020 launch in Amsterdam before Christmas.
‘We’ve analysed the last five years of Grand Tours,’ he started. ‘What is the influence of time-trials on the final classification? What was the composition of the team that was able to conquer and defend a jersey? We found a common thread. That’s why we feel we’ll be going to the Tour with this, our strongest possible team.’
But how could he have been sure that it is the strongest possible team? And how would it have affected the team selection for the other races across the year? It’s all about finding the perfect blend of youth, experience and technology…
An early start
Tadej Pogačar enjoyed one of the most memorable neopro campaigns of all time in 2019, winning three stages of the Vuelta a Espana en route to finishing third overall. The 21-year-old Slovenian belied a
