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Here's the update from Kasper Asgreen's Team Soudal Quick-Step:
The former winner of the Belgian Monument is confident ahead of his fifth start in De Ronde.
Kasper Asgreen and his six teammates who will take on De Ronde were present Friday afternoon in Wielsbeke to celebrate 25 years since Quick-Step entered cycling and to talk about one of the season’s highlights – Sunday’s 273.5km race between Brugge and Oudenaarde. There, the 28-year-old talked about what the race means for him and the Wolfpack’s expectations.
Kasper Asgreen wins De Ronde in 2021 ahead of Mathieu van der Poel. Sirotti photo
“Flanders is a special race not just for the Flemish people, but for the whole cycling world. Growing up it was my favourite race, the one I never missed on TV. It’s something special about the course – how hard it is and how it makes for some aggressive and spectacular racing. All this has a certain appeal to riders and fans.
“I am confident, even if there’s a difference between where I am now and where I was last year or two years ago, when I won. I’m progressing every week, but it’s been a longer way back than I imagined. Things are getting better and better, so hopefully the legs are there on Sunday.
“Going into the race, we need to accept that we don’t have the strength necessary to dictate the race, but that doesn’t mean it’s a bad thing, because we can still race in a different way – without controlling it from kilometer zero – that can allow us to be competitive and fight for a good result. It’s important to believe in it and don’t let it get into our heads that we don’t have the same strength as in the past. If we lose faith, we will certainly not get any results.
“I don’t see why we shouldn’t be able to do it. We know that others are favourites, but this shouldn’t distract us, as we just need to focus on our race. There is always pressure, but that isn’t something new in such a prestigious race. At the end of the day, Flanders has no secrets. Anything can happen. You just need to be strong the entire race and especially at the end.”
Here's the post from Florian Vermeersch's Team Lotto Dstny:
This Sunday 2 April, the Ronde van Vlaanderen means the apotheosis of the Flemish spring Classics season. Between Bruges and Oudenaarde, no less than 270 kilometres of racing awaits, stacked with iconic hills and cobbles like Koppenberg, Kwaremont and Patererg. Lotto Dstny will head to the Ronde with six Belgians: Jasper De Buyst, Sébastien Grignard (who replaces Cedric Beullens due to illness), Arjen Livyns, Frederik Frison, Brent Van Moer and Florian Vermeersch. The Australian Caleb Ewan is the only debutant in the Lotto Dstny seven-rider squad for the Ronde.
Florian Vermeersch with Viktor Verschaeve in 2019
Fourth consecutive Ronde for Florian Vermeersch
The 24-year-old Florian Vermeersch is about to start his fourth consecutive time racing the Ronde. He hopes to leave the bad luck of the past weeks behind him and wants to show himself on the Flemish roads as one of Lotto Dstny’s protected riders.
“It’s true that I had quite some bad luck the past races but that’s part of racing on Flemish roads, where misfortune is lurking behind every corner’, says Florian Vermeersch. “Now it’s time to fully focus on the Tour of Flanders, which we will start with a strong and motivated team. We are really eager to show ourselves in Flanders’ Finest. Behind the top favourites Van Aert, Van der Poel and Pogacar, the field is quite evenly matched I think. Personally, I remain careful in expressing my ambitions but I hope for a top twenty placing. Still there are many riders who are eligible to do so as well.”
Creative racing as code word
Vermeersch is clear about the race tactics of Lotto Dstny. “It is known that not many riders in the peloton are able to match the attacks of the big Three. That is why we can’t wait until let’s say the final time Kwaremont-Paterberg. The only thing is, it’s becoming more and more difficult to anticipate. There aren’t many races left where you can predict how the race unfolds, so we need to be creative. How we we’re going to do that will become clear in the race.”
Course knowledge as an asset
“My big advantage for the Ronde is that I know the Flemish roads by heart. It is a long race with difficult climbs but a good knowledge of the course already gives you an edge. There are many possible race scenarios but I hope to be up there on the attack, play my part in the race and help the team to achieve a good result”, concludes Florian Vermeersch.
Here’s the Tour of Flanders preview from Team Israel-Premier Tech:
Just like almost everyone in Belgium, the first Sunday in April has long been marked in the calendars of Sep Vanmarcke and Dylan Teuns. For the Belgian duo, Ronde van Vlaanderen is the pinnacle of their cobbled classics season.
At 273 kilometers, with 6 cobbled sectors and 19 hills, De Ronde is as tough as they come but Vanmarcke knows what it takes to be on the podium, having graced it twice in his career in 2014 and 2016, and most recently, he finished fifth in 2021. A podium result at Gent – Wevelgem last week suggested Sep is on the right path.
Sep Vanmarcke finishes third in the 2016 Tour of Flanders. Sirotti photo
“Ronde van Vlaanderen is always a highlight of my season, this year even more so after missing it last year,” explains Vanmarcke. “I was tired after Gent – Wevelgem but I have recovered well in the week since. I definitely took a lot of motivation from my performance there and also seeing how well the team raced at Dwars door Vlaanderen, I think we can be confident at the start line on Sunday. I’ve raced Ronde van Vlaanderen twelve times and I know it’s a race where anything can happen so you have to be attentive from the moment the flag drops. Between Dylan and myself, we have two strong cards to play and if things go our way, I think we can get a great result on Sunday.”
Unlike Vanmarcke, Ronde van Vlaanderen will be Dylan Teuns’ first race on home soil this season. The same preparation last year drove Dylan to a career-best sixth place and the 31-year-old is confident he can repeat his performance.
“Volta Catalunya was a good race where I could build some form after coming back from sickness. The level was high, so it was good preparation for the classics. We have to see how things go on Sunday but I feel like I am on track and can ride like I did last year. It’s really encouraging that the team has been performing well in the last races, it gives us confidence for Sunday and I think we can play a role in the race,” adds Teuns.
Guillaume Boivin, Hugo Houle, Krists Neilands and Jens Reynders complete the team and after solid performances in the recent classics, Sports Director Steve Bauer is backing IPT’s roster for a good result this Sunday.
“On paper, this is probably one of the strongest team IPT has ever had for Ronde van Vlaanderen. It was great to see Sep on the Gent – Wevelgem podium and Dylan is on his way up after Catalunya so we are looking forward to seeing them in action on sunday. The rest of the guys are healthy and have some good cobblestone classics already under their belt, so we are prepared and we have a chance to get a top result,” says Bauer.
As for the race, Bauer says the only surprise will be how teams play their cards.
“The core race is virtually the same so there are no surprises regarding the parcours. The Kwaremont and Paterberg are always critical. especially the second time through because it heads into the really difficult part of the race, the Koppenberg, the Taaienberg, and then the real final. So the second time on the Kwaremont is mission critical with positioning. That said, moves can happen before if teams race offensively so we need to be attentive.”
Ronde van Vlaanderen – 2 April
Roster: Guillaume Boivin (CAN), Hugo Houle (CAN), Krists Neilands (LAT), Jens Reynders (BEL), Dylan Teuns (BEL), Tom Van Asbroeck (BEL), Sep Vanmarcke (BEL).
And here’s the Flanders preview from Matej Mohorič’s Team Bahrain Victorious:
Matej Mohorič is looking to improve his fortunes after a crash in the final of Gent-Wevelgem, as he leads the lineup for Bahrain Victorious at the Tour of Flanders, while Fred Wright will also be looking to take his chances after an impressive top-ten finish last year. They will have the support of Kamil Gradek, Andrea Pasqualon, Filip Maciejuk, Nikias Arndt and Dušan Rajović.
Matej Mohorič at the 2022 Gent-Wevelgem. Sirotti photo
Starting in Brugge, the 107th edition of the Tour of Flanders features 19 climbs and six cobbled sectors across the 273.4km route, with the first of these climbs only featuring at kilometre 114, meaning a gruelling final 160km before the finish in Oudenaarde.
The main climbs across the route are the Oude Kwaremont, featured three times, and the Paterberg twice, which is also the last climb before a 13km run to the finish in Oudenaarde.
Matej Mohoric is confident ahead of the race:” We came to Belgium with an ambition to win a classic and score at least a podium place in the two big races, which are Flanders and Roubaix.
I was happy with the result in E3, and I just didn’t have quite enough to go with the ‘Big 3’ when they attacked. In Gent, I felt better than I did in E3, and I was misfortunate not to follow the move of Van Aert and Laporte due to a mechanical for a rider in front of me. Then I risked too much to clinch that podium spot and crashed. Luckily I don’t think the crash will impact me on Sunday.
We have a plan with the team, and we will commit fully to try and clinch a podium. We will need to anticipate our position for when the ‘Big 3’ attack and build from there.”
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