"In principle, he will continue to work on that lap
work. It is a bit of a toss-up which direction he should go. Jorgenson himself
said that he is reasonably sharp. While it is better to gain a few kilos for
more resilience in the Flemish races. So I would not immediately indicate him
for the Flemish spring."
Jorgenson’s all-round abilities have made him an interesting
case study. He excels in hilly terrain, can time trial well, and has shown impressive
endurance, but whether he can truly challenge in the cobblestone-heavy Flemish
classics is still up for debate. His performance at Milano-Sanremo could give
more insight into where his strengths are best suited.
De Cauwer also highlighted Magnus Sheffield as a rider to
watch, citing his past success in the Brabantse Pijl as an indication that he
could have more to offer in the coming weeks.
"You can add Magnus Sheffield. Not because he won the
final stage, but we have seen him win the Brabantse Pijl in the past. Maybe he
has now set off for more."
He also pointed to Filippo Ganna, who was superb in
Tirreno-Adriatico, as a key contender, especially looking ahead to the cobbled
classics.
"If you then continue that line to Flanders with a good
team, where he will be the leader. We know that Ganna can do that, but we have
not really seen that yet. But in a Paris-Roubaix and other races, he is a man
to look forward to."
De Cauwer then turned his attention to Mathieu van der
Poel’s performance at Tirreno-Adriatico, where he felt the Dutchman could have
won multiple stages.
"He could and perhaps should have won two stages,
especially the first one. There he first closes a gap and then gets boxed in in
the sprint. Okay, those are things that can happen. But I think Van der Poel
came out of Tirreno-Adriatico with a good feeling. He was able to put a final
layer on top of his condition."
This could be a warning sign for his rivals ahead of
Milano-Sanremo and the Flemish classics, as Van der Poel tends to peak at
exactly the right time.
Mads Pedersen was another rider De Cauwer believes could thrive
in the upcoming weeks, highlighting his consistency and ability to perform
across multiple races.
"We will definitely put Mads Pedersen among the
candidate winners for the Flemish spring. If you saw him here, up to and
including the Amstel Gold Race might be his territory."
He was less optimistic about Jonathan Milan’s chances at
Milano-Sanremo, suggesting that Pogacar will be determined to make the race too
hard for the pure sprinters.
"I think Pogacar absolutely wants to win there this
year. Then the race has to be made hard on the Cipressa and then it will be
difficult for Milan."
However, the unpredictability of racing means that sprinters
cannot be ruled out entirely, as history has shown with unexpected winners like
Biniam Girmay in Gent-Wevelgem.
"But of course you have races where other winners will
emerge. We never thought that Biniam Girmay would win Gent-Wevelgem. So it is
perfectly possible that a Merlier or a Milan wins it, but Philipsen also wants
to win it."
De Cauwer was also full of praise for Tim Merlier, calling
him one of the fastest sprinters in the world but unsure how far he can go in
the upcoming classics.
"Merlier is in good shape, already a whole spring. What
that will yield is also a question mark for him."