Mathieu van der Poel has taken a stupendous win at the E3 Saxo Classic and departs for Gent Wevelgem as a main favourite. Whilst it is a race that regularly favours sprinters, the weather conditions please the attackers this afternoon and the World Champion will certainly be on the move.
“It would be nice to win this race, but unfortunately it is not that easy. We'll try. Gent - Wevelgem is also not easy to win. That is not the case for any race, but this is a completely different race than E3," van der Poel told Wielerflits and others at the start of the day. “The passage through De Moeren is crucial, but everyone knows that. It will be quite a struggle to sit at the front.”
However the more difficult the better for van der Poel, who dropped the competition this Friday and soloed away to victory. Without Wout van Aert here, it is difficult to imagine someone being able to keep up with him if he attacks this afternoon.
“It depends on where you are, but if you are in a position to do it with the team you certainly shouldn't let it go. But the most difficult thing is to get into that position, because everyone wants to be at the front," he says. The team certainly has other options, most notably Milano-Sanremo winner Jasper Philipsen.
The team can certainly play the sprinter card, but if the Alpecin-Deceuninck rider is on his best legs than attacking can surely bring benefit, as the roads into Wevelgem largely feature a strong tailwind. The Belgian team enters the race perhaps with the two biggest favourites and a wide range of possibilities.
“I mainly have to wait and see how the legs are after Friday. E3 was a difficult competition. I'm looking forward to it. It's been a long time since I did this competition. We have several cards to play with the team and that also makes it easier for me to race," he concluded.
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