"The Tour of Flanders is in danger of becoming rather average" - Michel Wuyts laments lack of viable challengers for Mathieu van der Poel

Can anyone stop Mathieu van der Poel this Sunday at the Tour of Flanders? As Tadej Pogacar has his focus elsewhere, Wout van Aert is badly injured and Mads Pedersen is far from 100%, Michel Wuyts fears it could be a rather boring edition of the race.

"The Tour of Flanders is in danger of becoming rather average. A decapitated poster, the loss of the country's most popular rider and only one starlet at the start," laments the Belgian cycling expert in his column for Het Laatste Nieuws. "In the obligatory star game, it is predicted: five for Van der Poel, below it with difficulty three for an also already fairly beaten Pedersen. What remains, you may give one or two: Matteo Jorgenson, Matej Mohoric, Stefan Küng, Oier Lazkano, Alberto Bettiol, Laurence Pithie, Michael Matthews, Tim Wellens."

Most notable for Wuyts is the real lack of Belgian challengers for arguably the biggest one day race in the country. "The level of that top tier now hurts the eyes. After Phillipe Gilbert, Belgians made it to the podium three times in six years. Greg van Avermaet twice and Wout van Aert once," he notes. "The conclusion is clear: for highest success in Flanders, we are utterly dependent on van Aert. If he drops out, a gaping hole will remain."

Wuyts however, does see weaknesses in the Alpecin-Deceuninck team. The question is, whether or not anyone will be able to exploit them. "Van der Poel may be outstanding, but his team is not. Lieutenant Sore Kragh Andersen languishes, Silvan Dillier searches in vain for the old level. Jonas Rickaert is out as is Jasper Philipsen," Wuyts assesses. "That he attacked clear from his own team so far out in the E3 and Gent Wevelgem is no coincidence."

In fact, Wuyts has a whole scenario planned out to attack van der Poel. "If those from the UAE with other daredevils lift a breakaway from before the second Kwaremont to over the Koppenberg, Van der Poel will have a problem," he predicts. "I am thinking of a company of danger riders including Hirschi, Politt, Skujins, Lazkano, Benoot, Tiller, Campenaerts, Pithie and Asgreen. Members of teams that Van der Poel does not help in the background. Then exhaustion and panic beckon around the corner."