Jumbo-Visma unveils Tour de France squad focused on helping Vingegaard retain his title

BRUSSELS (AP) — Tour de France champion Jonas Vingegaard will be backed by some of the best riders in the world as he bids to retain his title.

Team Jumbo-Visma's selection of riders for cycling's biggest race was unveiled Monday. It provides a well-balanced roster of experience and huge talent that will offer Vingegaard close protection on the flat, and crucial assistance in the mountains.

Wout van Aert, Dylan van Baarle, Sepp Kuss, Tiesj Benoot, Christophe Laporte, Nathan Van Hooydonck and Wilco Kelderman will be supporting Vingegaard.

The Tour starts Saturday at the Spanish city of Bilbao.

“We exceeded our wildest dreams last year with six stage victories, the polka dot jersey, and most importantly, the green and yellow jersey," sports director Merijn Zeeman said. “This year we are dreaming big, too. Our ambition is to bring the yellow jersey back to Paris. We have a super strong team led by our leader Jonas Vingegaard, and we believe in our plan.”

The Dutch team has already won a Grand Tour this season when Primoz Roglic claimed the Giro d'Italia in May. Roglic is skipping the Tour.

Vingegaard dethroned defending champion Tadej Pogacar last year with memorable performances in the mountains

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