Van Den Broeck to lead Lotto-Belisol at Vuelta

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After a successful Tour de France campaign Jurgen Van Den Broeck will head to the start Vuelta a España where he will lead his Lotto-Belisol team in the final grand tour of the year. The 29-year-old will head to the Vuelta aiming at the general classification and stage wins - something he has yet to achieve this year.

"After his successful Tour de France, Jurgen will head to Spain without pressure," according to his team website.

Van Den Broeck missed out on the podium at the Tour again this year, finishing in fourth place and equaling his personal best result from 2010. The Belgian will no doubt seek to improve on his eighth-place from last season.

Australia’s Adam Hansen will line-up for his third grand tour of the year but on this occasion he won’t have the job of assisting Lotto’s sprint leader André Greipel. The ‘German Giant’ will not be at the start when the race begins in Pamplona on Saturday 18 August. Hansen is a versatile rider for the Spanish grand tour and was one of Van Den Broeck’s most trusted domestiques during this year’s Tour.

Bart De Clerq, Olivier Kaisen and Gianni Meersman have already ridden the Giro d’Italia this year while the four remaining riders will start their first grand tour of the season. Meersman has the potential for a stage win and excels in tough finales. He has already taken two victories this year including a stage at Paris-Nice. The Belgian has recently come off an impressive run at the Tour de Wallonie where he finished second overall.

The remaining Lotto-Belisol riders for the 67th edition of the Vuelta a España are: Jens Debusschere, Frederik Willems, Joost van Leijen and Vicente Reynes.