"Every rider rides the Nationals with Tour in mind" - Visma DS doesn't put too much pressure on Belgian Championships

The Belgian title is one of the most prestigious a rider can aim for. One of the main cycling countries will have a star-filled startlist peloton lining up with their bid for victory in Binche this Sunday. And Visma | Lease a Bike bring perhaps the biggest favourite of all - Wout Van Aert.

"It is a bit less difficult than the 2018 Belgian Championships and that of the Memorial Frank Vandenbroucke, because the large approach circuit is mainly undulating and less tiring than the local round," Visma sports director Maarten Wynants analyses the course at Het Laatste Nieuws. "But the typical difficult final kilometre is the same and that should definitely suit Wout."

"With Wout at the start, you always have a chance to win the Championship," the team manager continues. It will be a first race for Van Aert since Giro d'Italia. "It is also known that he is always good after a Grand Tour. After the Giro and the altitude training he will be in great shape," expects Wynants.

For Visma, whose sole objective is to win the Tour again, a crash could easily mean no Tour de France and that is something the Dutch team doesn't wish to happen. "So close to Le Grand Départ, every rider rides the Nationals with Tour in mind."

According to Wynants, Visma | Lease a Bike will not have an easy time in Binche: "There are many good sprinters at the start, men like Remco Evenepoel and Thibau Nys also have a chance on this course. It is a race of 230 kilometers, an hour longer than in most other countries. That will weigh in the final lap," he analyzes.

Wout Van Aert doesn't need to be Visma's only card (and based on the lesson learned at Dwars door Vlaanderen, he shouldn't be), with strong men Victor Campenaerts and Tiesj Benoot also in the mix. Julien Vermote and Tosh Van der Sande will also roll to the start, leaving the Dutch team with five-man lineup. That's not bad, although the numbers will not play in their advantage against strong home teams like Lotto, Soudal - Quick-Step or Alpecin-Deceuninck.