Cycling news - Mark Cavendish and Chris Froome headline strong field for Deutschland Tour 2021

ByHarry Latham Coyle

Published 18/08/2021 at 11:47 GMT

Froome will ride his first race since the 2021 Tour de France, while Cavendish will expect to contend in four stages that could all end in a sprint finish. Bora-Hansgrohe, meanwhile, have named a strong, all-German line-up expected to support home contender Pascal Ackermann. The race was not held in 2020.

Mark Cavendish and Chris Froome have both been named on the start-list for the 2021 Deutschland Tour.

The four-stage race, which was not held in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic, is due to begin on August 26.

Cavendish (Deceuninck-QuickStep) is bidding to go into double figures for wins in a season for the first time since 2015 after taking four stage victories at the 2021 Tour de France.

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The terrain in Germany could suit Cavendish, with the race bookended by flat stages that could be decided in a bunch sprint.

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The 36-year-old was also earlier this week the first rider confirmed for the Tour of Britain, which begins in the first week of September.

Froome, meanwhile, will ride for the first time since the Tour after abandoning plans to ride the Vuelta a Espana for Israel Start-Up Nation.

Elsewhere, Bora-Hansgrohe will hope to contend with Pascal Ackermann and have named an all-German team to support the sprinter, headlined by Emmanuel Buchmann.

Fourth-placed Tour de France general classification finisher Ben O'Connor, of AG2R Citroën, and Cavendish's team mate Joao Almeida - the recent winner of the Tour de Pologne - are also among the starters.

The Deceuninck-QuickStep team also includes Remi Cavagna after the powerful Frenchman extended his contract with the team until 2023.

The Deutschland Tour begins on August 26 in Stralsund and finishes in Nuremberg on August 29.

There are no mountain stages, however the middle two have been classed as "hilly" by organisers, though the terrain is without particularly significant lumps.

Jasper Stuyven (Trek-Segafredo) won the event in 2019, the last time it was held, in what was his first general classification victory.

The podium of the 2019 Deutschland Tour, including victor Jasper Stuyven (centre)

Image credit: Getty Images

Trek-Segafredo are not sending a team to the 2021 event, which is now part of the UCI ProSeries.

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