Trek-Segafredo's Niklas Egg told Danish media that he is "50-50" to make the final eight for this year's Tour de France team.

"To be in the Tour is the pinnacle for a professional cyclist," Egg told the Danish newspaper Ekstra Bladet over the weekend.

"I'm not sure right now, but I think it's 50-50. Right now I'm doing everything I can to be as sharp as possible for when the season starts."

Egg will attend a training camp in the French Alps in mid-July. The only ones not attending are Danish compatriots Mads Pedersen and Kenny Elissondo.

"We have to ride well and prove to leaders like Bauke Mollema and Richie Porte that we can be useful in the mountain stages. It's a tough Tour with a lot of climbing, so I want to be the rider they need." [He finished 13th overall in this year's Tour de la Provence and 15th overall in the UAE Tour.

"That's why the team put me on the long list. It's like a tap on the shoulder."

Of the nine riders announced, Morema, Porte, and world road race champion Pedersen are certainties for the team, as are 2020 Omloop Het Nieuwsblad winner and three-time Tour finisher Jasper Steiven, experienced Elissondo, Edward Zaunce, and Toms Skuzins would also be reasonable to expect to be included. In other words, Egg or Alex Kirsch (neither of whom has ever competed in the Tour) will likely make up the eight, leaving one rider disappointed.

"There are probably a handful of safe riders," said Egg, who has ridden both the Giro d'Italia and Vuelta a España since joining the team in 2018. 'The rest of the riders are hoping we'll get the other slots. I'm looking forward to seeing how it all ends up."

"I'm a little nervous," he added about waiting to hear who the final eight players will be.

"It kind of adds to the excitement. I want to dig a little deeper in training and prepare. It's a big motivating factor."