"Too much trouble to ride over cobblestones" prevent former winner Dylan van Baarle from racing Dwars door Vlaanderen

The spring has not developed well for Dylan van Baarle. After a brilliant return to Jumbo-Visma where he immediately won Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, but a leg injury sustained during Tirreno-Adriatico is derailing his plans. The Dutchman was now forced to skip Dwars door Vlaanderen.

“Nowadays we are no longer allowed to just say that and we are not going to do that,” Merijn Zeeman explained. “It's not ideal. Dylan fell and didn't recover enough to start tomorrow. He still has too much trouble to ride over cobblestones. We do count on him to start the Tour of Flanders on Sunday and that he will be good, but this is not the perfect run-up. I'm not going to deny that."

Even if van Baarle is present in De Ronde his form is far from assured. After abandoning Tirreno-Adriatico he only raced the E3 Saxo Classic, where he did not finish as well. A difficult situation for the Dutchman who won Paris-Roubaix last year and finished second at the Tour des Flandres. The team's plan is set, but the 30-year old is likely to take on a domestique role.

“He also trains on Wednesday. He has done a little less than expected. He also couldn't finish the race on Friday, so it's not completely optimal, but we have to make do with it," Zeeman continued. "We want to give him a little extra chance to recover. Will it be ready in a few days? There is of course always a chance that he will not make it to the Ronde, but if you ask me now, he will ride on Sunday.”

However the team hasn't suffered due to his absence. Wout van Aert won the E3 Saxo Classic as he matched Mathieu van der Poel and Tadej Pogacar, and at Gent-Wevelgem he and Christophe Laporte dominated the competition. Tiesj Benoot and Nathan van Hooydonck have also been riding at a very strong level throughout the spring.

Laporte himself has replaced van Baarle at Dwars door Vlaanderen where he will be a big favourite. “That has to do with the fact that Christophe had to drop out sick for Paris-Nice. He has hardly competed in competitions and by taking Dwars voor Vlaanderen, he should be able to make a small step conditionally," he concluded.