Tiesj Benoot & Matteo Jorgenson lead as Team Visma | Lease a Bike look to bounce back from rough couple of weeks at Amstel Gold Race

After a rough couple of weeks for Team Visma | Lease a Bike that has seen the team dealt a bad hand injury-wise, can they bounce back at Amstel Gold Race?

"Next Sunday, we want to show ourselves as a Dutch formation in a homegrown classic, spurred on by the Limburg audience," previews Frans Maassen in conversation with the official website of Team Visma | Lease a Bike. "In 2021, we already managed to win this race with Wout van Aert."

Sadly, van Aert won't be present this time around. "This year the Amstel Gold Race was again marked in red in his calendar. He was hugely motivated to get a second win here. For known reasons, he cannot ride the race. The crashes and the additional disappointments we experienced have been the topics lately," Maassen continues. "Each time, I saw an extremely resilient team that kept fighting on all fronts. That's what it's all about: falling and getting back up again."

In van Aert's absence, Tiesj Benoot and Matteo Jorgenson start as the big hopes. "Earlier this spring, Tiesj already proved that he has good legs. He showed his shape in both Dwars door Vlaanderen and Tour of Flanders. Sunday he will be able to show himself again," Maassen concludes. "We also have a huge asset in Matteo. So far he is one of the revelations of the spring after his victories in Paris-Nice and Dwars door Vlaanderen. After a tough Tour of Flanders, he appeared not to be fully fit for Paris-Roubaix, but he has recovered. Sunday's course should definitely suit him."

Tiesj Benoot, Matteo Jorgenson, Johannes Staune-Mittet, Milan Vader, Julien Vermote, Tosh van der Sande & Per Strand Hagenes.