"As long as Mathieu is top, his team can be a little less" - Analysts struggle to find Mathieu van der Poel's weaknesses ahead of Tour of Flanders

Ahead of Sunday's Tour of Flanders, Mathieu van der Poel is the sole favourite to win the second Monument of 2024. Het Nieuwsblad asked ex-pros Bert De Backer, Greg Van Avermaet and Johan Museeuw to search for weaknesses of the World champion and ways he can be possibly dethroned.

Last week Pedersen managed to get the best out of Van der Poel in a sprint of two, but the Dane is not expected to be in the contention for the win after crash on Wednesday. "I don't think the code has been cracked after Gent Wevelgem. He has also won longer sprints. I think he was a little less used to it in Gent Wevelgem," thinks Museeuw.

Another option could be to play numbers game against Alpecin-Deceuninck who don't strike as the strongest team on the paper. "As long as Mathieu is top, his team can be a little less. He will make his plan work," De Backer is not too worried. "If Van der Poel can stay fresh until the moment the favorites start, that will be more than enough for him." Museeuw agrees. "They are not as strong as Lidl-Trek, but they really stand out. Visma | Lease a Bike has been decapitated."

"He's racing the way we want to see it, right? You occasionally bump into yourself like this, but in his case he comes second. Everyone is happy with that the week before Ronde," adds Van Avermaet.