Video | Tadej Pogacar in Antwerp: "Today is the true test"

After winning the UAE Tour, Strade Bianche and Tirreno-Adriatico with dominating performances, the Tour de France defending champion is testing himself this spring in the cobbles as he comes into the Tour des Flandres in seek of experience and maybe a result. According to most, he is one the main favourites and most direct rivals to Mathieu van der Poel.

"It's an amazing atmosphere and I'm enjoying. I wish to be fighting in this race for next years," Pogacar said at the start to CyclingPro. After making his debut in the cobbles this season at this week's Dwars door Vlaanderen where he finished tenth after missing the big move, he comes in reassured that he has the legs to be within the contention for the win: "It gave me motivation on wednesday, I saw that I can do it and yeah today is the true test."

"It doesn't change tactics at all but yeah it was one of the biggest favourites... He won't start but the tactics won't change for us, I think it's still going to be pretty hard," he said regarding the absence of Wout van Aert.

Asked the question many reporters were on today as to where the action would kick off, Pogacar was also reluctant to point out a specific place: "I don't know... I think pretty early, if you look at the other races now, I think it's going to be pretty early."