Soudal-QuickStep and Remco Evenepoel face a momentous task at this year's Tour de France as the Belgian squad once again face off against the Tour-winning teams of Tadej Pogačar and Jonas Vingegaard.
The two star-packed squads both feature Grand Tour contenders in support roles behind the two main contenders, with the likes of Simon Yates, João Almeida, Sepp Kuss, and Adam Yates set to take leading roles in the high mountains.
It's a slightly different story at Soudal-QuickStep. The team lost Evenepoel's climbing lieutenant Mikel Landa after the Basque crashed out of the Giro d'Italia. They'll now look to Ilan Van Wilder, Valentin Paret-Peintre and Max Schachmann to lead their support squad.
Van Wilder will race as second-hand man to Evenepoel this July, having previously helped his leader to a Vuelta a España victory in 2022 and accompanied him at the 2023 Giro d'Italia as well as last year's Tour.
Last summer, Van Wilder told Het Nieuwsblad he was "fed up" with the criticism his team had received, saying "We really feel like shit" and pointing out that teams such as UAE can turn to a support squad of "all leaders who ride for at least €2 million."
Similar criticisms have appeared in the Belgian press this year after Evenepoel found himself without teammates several times late on key Dauphiné stages. Earlier this week, he reiterated his frustration in an interview with WielerRevue.
"It's a bit of the same story with the criticism, but I'm much less concerned about it," he said. "It's very easy to always compare us with teams that use captains as domestiques, like UAE. In my opinion, that's not a realistic comparison.
"I know that the guys who are there are just going to give 100% for the leaders. We can't do more than our best. I am convinced that we are all at a high level."
While Paret-Peintre and Schachmann supported Evenepoel at the Dauphiné, Van Wilder prepared for the Tour with a strong eighth place at the Tour de Suisse.
His role in the team remains unchanged despite Landa's absence this month, he said, noting that he thinks he's a stronger rider than he was last year.
"Actually, not much will change for me. I will do my utmost to support my leader as long as possible during the difficult days. I think I'm a little better than last year. I have taken a step further, and I hope to show that in the Tour," Van Wilder said, before saying he won't be thinking about his own GC position during the race.
"First of all, I hope to stay safe, especially during the first week," Van Wilder said. "It goes without saying that positioning for those hectic finals is not for me. That is not my job either. I have to get through the first part safely, so that I can do my job afterwards."
