Alberto Bettiol will have a chance to win second Tour of Flanders for EF Education-EasyPost

Bringing former Tour of Flanders champion Alberto Bettiol, EF Education-EasyPost will have ambitions of their own at the start of the season's second Monument, despite absence of Neilson Powless and Rui Costa.

At Dwars Door Vlaanderen, the team was active in the formation phase of the decisive move of the day, with Bettiol and Michael Valgren in the mix. The Italian then launched deadly attack on the Nokereberg which put everyone in the group over the edge, including Bettiol himself who cramped out soon after. He'll try to avoid such mistake on Sunday.

"If you have the privilege to win this race, then you really understand the importance of it," says Bettiol, the 2019 winner. "It is a masterpiece of cycling, something holy and sacred for the Flemish people. I love the passion that they have. They wait for one year for this race, and I feel a sense of responsibility to do my best for them, because of the history, because they write my name on the asphalt. I am one of the few guys in the peloton who have seen what it means to win the Ronde van Vlaanderen."

EF Education-EasyPost lineup for Tour of Flanders:
Alberto Bettiol, Stefan Bissegger, Owain Doull, Jonas Rutsch, Harry Sweeny, Michael Valgren and Marijn van den Berg