“We will just try to implement our own plan and try to achieve our own objectives” - Visma | Lease a Bike DS Arthur van Dongen on the team’s strategy for Liège-Bastogne-Liège

Despite suffering several injuries to their squad over the Spring, Team Visma | Lease a Bike have still been able to piece together strong results in the Ardennes Classics, as Tiesj Benoot has stepped up and led the line for the team, with a podium finish at the Amstel Gold Race and ninth place at La Flèche Wallonne.

For Liege-Bastogne-Liege this weekend though, the Dutch team have brought in two key riders to their lineup who have not ridden in any of the Ardennes Classics thus far. Attila Valter and Ben Tulett are set to bolster their squad on Sunday, with both of them having previous experience of racing at La Doyenne.

Valter is coming into the race off the back of an altitude training camp with Visma | Lease a Bike’s Giro d’Italia squad ahead of the race next month, whilst Tulett is returning from an illness that forced him to abandon Itzulia Basque Country and also caused him to miss La Flèche Wallonne on Wednesday.

Speaking in an interview with WielerFlits, the team’s sports director Arthur van Dongen said “of course, we are not the big favourites on Sunday. But we will try to leave our mark on the match. Tiesj finds a course here that suits him much better than La Flèche Wallonne. Liège is longer and more gruelling, which suits him better than such an explosive Mur de Huy”.

On how he thinks their three-pronged attack will fare against the likes of Tadej Pogačar and Mathieu van der Poel, Van Dongen went on to say that “a race always has to be run. Last Sunday and Wednesday we saw many favourites that were not included due to circumstances. Of course Pogačar and Van der Poel will play an important role, but we will just try to implement our own plan and try to achieve our own objectives. We are now also aiming for the best possible result”.

It will be difficult for them to influence the race though, as Pogačar’s UAE Team Emirates squad will likely look to control the race for the Slovenian, with Van Dongen saying that “it is difficult to anticipate in this race. We also saw in Strade Bianche that UAE Team Emirates kept tight control even on the early flight. I wouldn't be surprised if they do that again in Liège. But don't forget that there is a strong headwind on the way back from Bastogne to Liège. That may cause attackers to wait longer”.

On the team’s aim for the race, Van Dongen stated “the most important thing is that, just like in the Amstel and the Flèche Wallonne, we are riding a good race”. However, he is hoping that they will be able to make the race entertaining, as he said “I consider that as important as a result. I would rather finish seventh, tenth and fourteenth and animate the race, than have someone not appear in the finale and still finish fifth”.