Key domestique Louis Vervaeke rues Remco Evenepoel's absence in the Ardennes: "Our leader is gone. Mentally that is very difficult"

Louis Vervaeke is Remco Evenepole's right-hand man, this year alone already having contributed to the Belgian's performance a the FIgueira Champions Classic, Volta ao Algarve, Paris-Nice and Itzulia Basque Country. Vervaeke will still race the Ardennes despite Evenepoel's absence, but is aware that it's a completely different situation now.

"Normally I ride all the Ardennes classic. So I'm very curious to see what I can show there," Vervaeke told In de Leiderstrui. "I was actually going to ride for Remco in the upcoming races, but that has changed. It is of course a great shame that our leader is gone. Mentally that is very difficult. Luckily for a rider like me, this gives a rider the opportunity to take his own chance for once. And of course I have to seize such an opportunity with both hands."

Evenepoel was to lead the team in these classics, but as is the case with most of the spring classics thus far, the team will likely be thinned down and have small chances of fighting for a podium in any of them. Evenepoel fractured a collarbone and shoulder blade in the mass crash at Itzulia which ended his spring. "We speak to each other a lot, but in my opinion it is up to Remco himself to communicate how he is doing."

Vervaeke himself has taken a result in the Basque Country, and will be motivated to try and take what is a rare opportunity to chase his own results. At Amstel Gold Race, he is perhaps the team's biggest hope to feature in the Top10. "Of course, I realize all too well that I don't win a race easily. We don't have an outspoken leader. Everyone gets their chance to go for it," he says. "There is a little more freedom. We have some interesting trump cards to play. I don't associate a specific result with it for myself, but I do want to perform very well across the entire line of hill classics. A top five place would be very nice."