"It is clear that Wout is the absolute leader" - Dylan van Baarle confirms he will ride in support of Wout van Aert at the Tour of Flanders

Whilst Wout van Aert's decision to be the ultimate teammate and allow Christophe Laporte to claim victory at Gent Wevelgem was criticised by some, the choice is already bearing fruit as recent Omloop het Nieuwsblad winner Dylan van Baarle confirms he will work in support of the Belgian at the Tour of Flanders.

"I can certainly take my own chance, but it is clear that Wout is the absolute leader," the Dutchman revealed to the In Koers of the Algemeen Dagblad podcast. “We can get deep into the final with four or five guys from our team and then we have to use our strength. Wout then has to use us, but we also use Wout."

Jumbo-Visma have been the dominant force in cycling so far in 2023, van Baarle's Omloop het Nieuwsblad win just one of many successes for the Dutch based team and in Wout van Aert they have one of the favourites for victory at the Tour of Flanders. Van Baarle himself is looking to bounce back after crashing out of the E3 Saxo Classic.

“We turned up the Stationsberg, on the cobblestone strip with that train track. After that train track, Florian Sénéchal went down. I was on the inside and tried to keep it, but someone behind me knocked me off the bike. It was a very silly crash, because it was avoidable," says van Baarle. “I immediately had a lot of trouble with my knee, so I couldn't get up myself. All in all, it turned out pretty well in the end. On Saturday I was able to cycle again for two hours. Now my shoulder actually bothers me more than my knee or hip, so it jumps a bit."