QUOTES | Wout van Aert, Mads Pedersen and Jasper Philipsen ahead of Dwars door Vlaanderen

Dwars door Vlaanderen is one of the several cobbled World Tour classics at this time of year, perhaps the one with the least reputation but by no means the one with less importance. Wout van Aert, Mads Pedersen and Jasper Philipsen headline a brilliant startlist and all have shared their feelings ahead of the start this morning in Roeselare.

Wout van Aert: “It is simply a very important race because I want to win this race. That was also my ambition in the E3 Saxo Classic, but then I was not good enough to play. I hope to be good enough today. It is an important day to assess for myself how good I am now. The past few days went well in training. I was able to rest well and did everything we had planned. We do have a few key points, but we also have to be realistic that we are not the favorites after the previous classics,”

Mads Pedersen (Het Nieuwsblad): “It was necessary to really rest on Monday and to loosen up the legs again yesterday, so the body is ready. Our team is ready too. For us it is important to be there with the pawns we have. Then it is easier to play something during the race. For us it actually does not matter who wins, as long as we win. Jonathan Milan is in very good shape. If the scenario occurs that it ends in a sprint, then we can simply put Jonathan forward. We can also send Jasper Stuyven and Toms Skujiņš forward early in the race. That way we can still decide who it will ultimately be.”

Jasper Philipsen: “But there is no more disappointment after Gent Wevelgem. Today is a new chance and the legs are good. But it has been a while since there was a sprint in Dwars door Vlaanderen. So the chance that it will happen is small. The weather conditions are nice, but there is a lot of wind. There are many strong riders at the start, such as Pedersen, who needs a tough race. I hope for the same legs as Sunday. Hopefully we are in the race and can make a race. My racing heart prefers that, but of course it is often wiser to aim for a sprint.”

Tim Merlier (Het Nieuwsblad): “The abrasions (from the Classic Brugge-De Panne crash, ed.) have healed well, the knee will remain like this for a while. The plaster is already a lot smaller than it was. It remains not ideal. I still can't fully bend my knee. The stitches are a bit difficult. During Gent-Wevelgem I wasn't at my best level, but once I see the finish line, I come back to life."