Liv Racing is preparing for the first stage race of the season. From Friday (30 April) to Sunday (2 May) the team will participate in the Ceratizit Festival Elsy Jacobs in Luxembourg. Liv Racing will start with the following riders: Pauliena Rooijakkers, Jeanne Korevaar, Evy Kuijpers, Sofia Bertizzolo, Valerie Demey and Marta Jaskulska.
The Luxembourg three-day-race starts with a prologue of 2.2 kilometres in Cessange. Saturday is the first stage (125 km) with start and finish in Steinfort. The final stage Garnich – Garnich is over 105 kilometres long. Both stages will be on a hilly course.
“It’s nice to ride a stage race again after a spring full of classics. That is why I am really looking forward to it. I want to race well, together with the team. The distances are relatively short on all three days. But the past has shown that the Festival Elsy Jacobs, with local laps, can be intense. Short but powerful, shall we say”, says Jeanne Korevaar.
OPEN-MINDED
“We go into the race with an open mind”, says sports director Eric van den Boom. “The Festival Elsy Jacobs has a nice course that certainly appeals to us. We are going to see if we can get into the right breakaways. Competing for stage wins will be our primary goal. After that we’ll see if we can play an important role in the general classification.”
The team can again count on Evy Kuijpers and Sofia Bertizzolo in the Festival Elsy Jacobs. Both were out of action for a while. “We’ll have to wait and see how they return. The other riders are extending their classic spring. They are in shape. Since the stages are relatively short, the Festival Elsy Jacobs is a great race to pick up the rhythm.”
Photo credits: Cor Vos