Alberto Bettiol: "I am not in the best shape, but I am here and I can race"

Alberto Bettiol will be one of EF Education - EasyPost's weapons for today's Tour des Flandres, and he has talked about his run-up to the second monument of the season in a recent press release by the team.

Despite being a talented rider in several terrains, Bettiol has had his standout victory in Flandres in 2019: "Now, I want to do it again. I’ve been thinking about this weekend all winter. I planned my winter and my programme in the first part of the season to arrive here in the best shape possible, because of the unique feeling that only this race gives me.”

His spring has been far from perfect though. After a strong start in Bessèges, he caught Covid-19 during a training camp in Tenerife and has not only missed out on a lot of training, but is since struggling with form, not having been able to be in contention during any of the races since his return at Milano-Torino and abandoning at Dwars door Vlaanderen.

“It is a tough sport. We risk a lot. And in the end, for the same amount of risk and effort, I prefer to fight for the win instead of just participating. If I am not able to win, I immediately want to find the right condition to be able to," he added.

It's unclear what ambitions will be in EF Education's camp as Michael Valgren has also been struggling with form, but the team has a very experienced lineup which can surprise today: “It is a pity, but I still want to take everything that this race will leave to me, because this race is so close to my heart, especially this year, with the crowds, with the people here again after two years."

"It doesn’t matter about my condition. I am healthy now. I am feeling good. I am not in the best shape, but I am here and I can race. I can start the Tour of Flanders. I will race without any pressure and support my teammates. I just want to enjoy the race, enjoy the Kwaremont, the Paterberg. It’s going to be a really great day of sport. And in the end, we’re going to drink a beer and cheers and think about the next race," he concluded.

EF Education for Tour des Flandres: Alberto Bettiol, Michael Valgren, Jens Keukeleire, Tom Scully, Sebastian Langeveld, Jonas Rutsch and Lukasz Wisniowski.