Quick Step Alfa Vinyl team manager Patrick Lefebvre has revealed the selection strategy for the eight riders competing in this year's Tour de France. Julien Alaphilippe will race if he is fit, Mark Cavendish will be ready in case Fabio Jacobsen has problems, and Kasper Asgreen revealed that he will target the time trial to secure a position in the team car formation.

Lefebvre revealed his philosophy in his regular weekend column in Het Nieuwsblad (opens in new tab).

"We always work with a long list. Many riders already know from the first training camp of the season that they will be competing in the Tour. After Switzerland we will narrow it down from 11 riders to a final eight," Lefebvre said.

Most teams have a catch-up with management and Directeur Sportif every Monday, and after checking performance fitness and team ambitions in a communication after the Tour de Suisse, the names of the eight riders who will compete in the Tour de France are finalized Decisions will be made.

The risk of COVID-19 infection means that teams will have many athletes on standby in case they are needed for a late call-up.

"Usually we unanimously decide on eight names. It's not rocket science," Lefebvre said.

Quick-Step Alphavinil does not aim to win the overall at the Tour de France, so it will select a team that aims to win a sprint or a stage win that suits the terrain.

Illness and injury interrupted Quick-Step-Alphavinille's spring, and world champion Julien Alaphilippe suffered a punctured lung and fractured ribs and scapula in a high-speed crash in Liège-Bastogne-Liège. After several days in the hospital and weeks of rest, Alaphilippe resumed training at altitude for the Tour de France.

Alaphilippe has not raced since the crash, but will be selected if he can build up some form toward the end of June.

"If Alaphilippe is fit, he will come," Lefebvre stated.

"I'm not going to be secretive about it. High altitude training in the Sierra Nevada is going well, but with all due respect, there is a big difference between training uphill with Yves Lampert and Tim Declercq and effectively participating in a race."

Lefebvre acknowledged that Jacobsen is a potential sprinter for Quick-Step Alphavinir. Mark Cavendish replaced Sam Bennett last year and took four stages and the green points jersey.

Cavendish has recently completed the Giro d'Italia and many one-day races. It is unclear whether Cavendish will remain with Quick-Step Alfa Vinyl beyond 2022, but Lefebvre insisted that the Manxman is loyal to the team's cause and ready to step up if needed again.

"It is no secret that I will be sprinting with Fabio Jacobsen in the Tour. However, I am going to keep calling them both names.

"Last year Sam Bennett was a sure thing, so to speak, but in the end Cavendish went to the Tour. I talked to him on the last weekend of the Giro. Mark said, "I'm a pro, I'll be ready until the last day."

Whoever Quick-Step Alphavinil sprints in the Tour de France, they will have a quality lead-out train.

"Obviously, if you go with a sprinter, you also need a leadout. Michal Morkov is the best in the world in that role," Lefebvre said.

"Yves Lampert and Florian Seneschal are on the train. We also need profiles like Tim Declercq and Joseph Cerny, because as a sprinter team we have to control the race. Unfortunately, the latter fell ill again at the Dauphiné."

Lefebvre knows the importance of team car positioning in the Tour de France convoy.

Therefore, Kasper Asgreen will target the time trial, even if there is little chance of beating Filippo Ganna and Wout Van Aert.

"If we give up the time trial, we also give up the classification, and we will be running in the support car in 20th position behind the peloton," Lefebvre explained.

"You don't want to experience that if you have a cobbled ride to Allenberg scheduled for Wednesday. For the time trial, I'm hoping for Kasper Asgreen. Remi Cavagna is another option."

"Even without his difficult preparation, I wouldn't let Alaphilippe burn out. However, as long as he is in formation, he must be close to the players. Therefore, Mattia Cattaneo and Dries Devenyns can be used anywhere in the team and can be in charge of classifications at the same time."