Dylan van Baarle ready to face off with the cobbles again: “This is the period that makes me happy"

As the spring classics season kicks into full gear, Dylan van Baarle is ready to return to the races he values most. Speaking to De Telegraaf ahead of the E3 Saxo Bank Classic on Friday, the Dutchman reflected on his interrupted start to the 2025 season and outlined his ambitions for the cobbled classics, including the return to form he hopes to showcase in Harelbeke.

After crashing at the Tour Down Under earlier this year, van Baarle’s campaign had been off balance. But with a block of racing now behind him and the confidence of experience, the Paris-Roubaix, Dwars door Vlaanderen, and Omloop Het Nieuwsblad winner believes he’s ready to fight again.

“That sucked,” van Baarle said of the crash in Australia, “but I was able to pick up the training well afterwards and with Tirreno-Adriatico I have a multi-day race under my belt. I needed that to get better. I think I succeeded. This is the period that makes me happy, for me the highlight of the cycling year.”

For riders like van Baarle, the E3 Classic isn’t just a warm-up, it’s a serious target. With a course that mimics the hardest parts of the Tour of Flanders, E3 is both a statement of form and a tactical test. The peloton this Friday will include Mathieu van der Poel, Wout van Aert, and Matteo Jorgenson, a mix of raw power, form riders, and proven one-day specialists.

Van Baarle knows that the level of competition is immense, especially with both Van der Poel and Tadej Pogacar in the mix. “They are on a different level,” he admitted, “but you always have to keep hope. If everything falls into place for me one day, I can ride a very strong race. Then I am capable of a lot.”

He added, “We have a very good team in depth, so we have to make sure that we make it difficult for Mathieu van der Poel and Tadej Pogacar. Although we are not only dealing with them, riding on cobblestones is very different from Milan-Sanremo.”

That final remark is telling. In the cobbled classics, experience, positioning, teamwork, and instinct often matter as much as form alone. It’s on these narrow, punishing roads that van Baarle has made his name, most memorably with his solo victory at Paris-Roubaix in 2022.

The 32-year-old is aware that he isn’t one of the headliners this spring, but that’s a role he’s comfortable with. Where van der Poel and Pogacar carry the spotlight and the burden of expectation, van Baarle can race with quiet focus, relying on his depth of knowledge, experience, and tactical cunning.

However, 2025 has brought another personal shift, van Baarle is not on the provisional list for the Tour de France. While that decision disappointed him, he remains pragmatic and focused on the opportunities ahead.

“I understand that the team has to make choices. Of course I am disappointed that I am not riding the Tour de France. But you know that our team is so strong that there is always a chance that they will not take you. They have made other choices and I have to accept that. I have a completely different nice program that I am focusing on.”

That "different program" now includes supporting the likes of Simon Yates and Olav Kooij in other races, a change from the full commitment to Jonas Vingegaard and the yellow jersey in previous years. “It is a different approach than with Jonas, because with him you know that all focus is on the final victory. Now that is different. We may have Simon (Yates) for the classification, but we will also have to put Olav in position to be able to sprint.”

For van Baarle, then, 2025 is a year of recalibration: a chance to embrace new roles, refocus on the classics that made his name, and take on races like E3 with freedom, rather than pressure.

Whether or not he reaches the podium on Friday, his understanding of the race, and his ability to thrive in chaotic conditions, make him a serious threat, especially if rivals become too preoccupied with each other.

And as the cobbles loom, van Baarle knows one thing for sure: “This is the period that makes me happy.”