"It's difficult to open the race before the Muur" - Mathieu van der Poel unlikely to risk it from far at Omloop

Alpecin-Premier Tech were left right and center at the Omloop het Nieuwsblad team presentation this morning as Mathieu van der Poel emerged to take part in his first road race of the season. The former World Champion has shared his thoughts ahead of the race in which is behaviour may influence that of many others in the peloton.

"That might be putting it too strongly. If you look at the Omloop, you see that it's difficult to make a difference," van der Poel shared with Sporza at the start of the day. "It's difficult to open the race before the Muur. The wind is a bit of a factor today, but it's not always favorable. We have to be alert, as in every classic."

However, if there isn't a bluff at play, the Dutchman is indicating that he will not be attacking the race early on. His words describe the profile of Omloop well, as the race is always decided on the Muur de Geraardsbergen/Bosberg combination; or often in the kilometers that follow it. All scenarios must be considered, and that includes a relatively packed sprint as was the case 12 months ago.

"With Jasper [Philipsen] and Kaden [Groves] behind me, we're in a good position as a team. Riding solo is possible, and has happened in the past. But we know how to handle that. We have Jasper and Kaden for the sprint. That's an asset I have."

Alpecin have the cards to attack but most likely they will keep their powder dry until the final minutes of the race, with van der Poel as a potential attacker; whilst Philipsen and Groves will try to survive and be cards to play if it comes down to a sprint.

Philipsen, who didn't manage to make a good impression in his season debut at the Volta ao Algarve, pushed the focus away towards the man of the moment: "Mathieu is our absolute spearhead. It would be great to get another bunch sprint, but other scenarios are also possible."

"We have to be ready for any scenario. With a rider like Mathieu on the team, the race changes. The tailwind to Ninove also changes the race," he warns, hinting that a sprint finish may be less likely.