The likes of
Wout van Aert,
Remco Evenepoel,
Jasper Philipsen and
Tim Merlier will all be present, leading to a diverse field full of quality riders. "All the big teams have a sprinter, but all those leaders also have teammates who can move along in the long break," Pauwels continues. "You also have smaller teams, such as AG2R with Van Avermaet, the Naesens and Dewulf, who don't have sprinters. They have to race offensively, because they can't wait for a mass sprint."
"It could be said that it is indeed quite dangerous. Riders who go to the Tour do not like to take risks in the weeks before. They do not descend via the cobblestones, but via the narrow path," he concludes. "If the passages through the Kemmelberg provide a fantastic course, we will say: sublime that it was in it. But if someone has to miss the Tour due to a fall, then that is very sour."
