Roglic leads strong Jumbo-Visma squad at Vuelta a España
GC leader will count on Kruijswijk, Bennett, Martin and Gesink as key lieutenants
Jumbo-Visma have named their squad for the Vuelta a España, with Primož Roglič leading a strong eight-man team that also includes Steven Kruijswijk and George Bennett.
Roglič has been preparing for his Vuelta challenge, in what will be his first appearance at the race, with a high-altitude training camp in Sierra Nevada, Spain.
Key lieutenants Kruijswijk and Bennett, meanwhile, will start the Vuelta with a successful Tour de France in their legs. There, the Dutchman took third overall while Bennett finished 24th.
Jumbo-Visma also took four stages at the Tour, via the team time trial and sprints from Dylan Groenewegen, Mike Teunissen and Wout Van Aert, though Kruijswijk, Bennett and Tony Martin are the only men doing the Tour-Vuelta double-header.
Rather than the multi-pronged focus they used at the Tour, the Dutch team will opt for a more GC-centric strategy in Spain. As well as Kruijswijk, who finished fourth at the race in 2018, and Bennett, who was tenth in 2016, Roglič will also be able to count on the support of Robert Gesink, a three-time top ten finisher in Spain.
Americans Sep Kuss and Neilson Powless provide further climbing strength for the race which includes eight summit finishes and several more uphill finishes besides, while Lennard Hofstede and Tony Martin provide additional firepower.
Jumbo-Visma squad for the Vuelta a España (August 24-September 9): George Bennett (NZl), Robert Gesink (Ned), Lennard Hofstede (Ned), Steven Kruijswijk (Ned), Sep Kuss (USA), Tony Martin (Ger), Neilson Powless (USA) and Primož Roglič (Slo).
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Dani Ostanek is Senior News Writer at Cyclingnews, having joined in 2017 as a freelance contributor and later being hired full-time. Before joining the team, she had written for numerous major publications in the cycling world, including CyclingWeekly and Rouleur. She writes and edits at Cyclingnews as well as running newsletter, social media, and how to watch campaigns.