Fabio Jakobsen ahead of Kuurne - Bruxelles - Kuurne: "This is what I train for all winter, today is the day it has to be done"

Kuurne - Bruxelles - Kuurne saw Fabio Jakobsen take the win in 2022, and the European Champion looks to double his success. However it won't be easy with many strong teams and strong winds.

“Of course I watched Omloop Het Nieuwsblad yesterday. Dylan is a good buddy of mine. I've asked Dylan to take it easy today. Then he just laughed in my face,” Jakobsen shared with Wielerflits before the start of Kuurne - Bruxelles - Kuurne. “In addition, I also looked at my own team, but they were not on the screen that much. This is what I train for all winter, today is the day it has to be done."

The race suits the sprinters despite the presence of some bergs where differences can be made. The wind may pose an even bigger challenge however as the gusts will come from the side in the run-up to the finale.

Asked if that would make Jakobsen's task harder, he responds: “That is rarely the case. My condition is there and there is also a lot of wind, which I like. Yesterday, more teams had a hard time, there was actually just one team that stood out."

“That was the case last year and it will be the case today. We will almost all have to ensure that Jumbo-Visma does not win again. We have to be along. They will race early, on instinct. Together with other teams we will ensure that it will be a sprint. And if it turns into a sprint, I still want to be there," he concluded.

The race will feature many high-quality sprinters and alliances are likely, however with the conditions and an in-form Jumbo-Visma it may be very hard to control the peloton.