2019 Tour of Flanders Preview

This Sunday, the king of the Flemish Spring Classics, the Tour of Flanders (or the Ronde Van Vlaanderen, if you use the local name) takes place. The 267km race will start in Antwerp and finish in Oudenaarde, which is in its eighth consecutive year of being the finale. Only minor changes have been made to the course in comparison to last year. There will be three passages over the Oude Kwaremont and two on the Paterberg, making them key to anyone who is going for victory. In all, the race will encompass seventeen hills and five cobbled sections.

Ag2r – La Mondiale:

“For a Flandrien, it’s the race of the year,” said Ag2r team leader Stijn Vanderbergh. “My condition has been good since the beginning of the classics. But I have been unlucky, which has prevented me from proving it. At E3 BinckBank Classic, I just punctured at exactly the worst moment. I had to use a lot of energy to get back in the pack, and inevitably, I paid for it. At Gent-Wevelgem, I made the mistake of being badly positioned on the Kemmelberg, and that cost me dearly. But still, I cannot wait to be on the starting line Sunday.

“Everyone waits for this moment. There are a ton of people on the side of the road to watch it. In order to perform, you have to know the roads very well, because it is important not to waste energy in the first 200 kilometers, since it is the last 50 that prove to be the most decisive.”

Roster: Oliver Naesen, Stijn Vandenbergh, Nico Denz, Gediminas Bagdonas, Dorian Godon, Julien Duval and Silvan Dillier

Bora – Hansgrohe:

Although the absence of Jempy Drucker and Oscar Gatto will be felt, Peter Sagan will still have a strong team in attendance to support him.

“I was able to recover over the last week and I trained well. I did everything that I felt was necessary,” said Sagan at a pre-race press conference. “Now we will see how it goes. It is of course a real shame that Oscar and Jempy will not be lining up to race. They have worked very hard and would have deserved to be there, but despite their absence, we will still have a good team heading into the race. This year, there are several favourites. Perhaps this time, I won’t be the one who is being watched by everyone, and that can also have its advantages. In any case, we have to concentrate on ourselves, and ride our own race.”

“We can be very happy with our season so far, in which we have already claimed 11 victories,” added Team Manager Ralph Denk. “At the moment, a Monument is still missing from this collection, however, there will still be opportunities over the coming weeks. The crashes and injuries that have occurred over the last weeks have, without doubt, been felt within the team. Peter’s illness was also hardly an optimal situation, but sometimes there’s just not much one can do about these things. The team is working very diligently to ensure that everyone who is affected will return to fitness as soon as possible. Reflecting on the last few results, I think that we have a good team for Flanders and Roubaix, and also a very strong squad for the Ardennes this year. I think the team will be a force to be reckoned with over the next few weeks, and if we hit our targets, to get one of the big wins, then I will definitely be very satisfied.”

Roster: Peter Sagan, Marcus Burghardt, Andreas Schillinger, Jura Sagan, Daniel Oss, Lukas Postelberger and Maciej Bodnar

Team Dimension Data:

Edvald Boasson Hagen and Michael Valgren will lead Team Dimension Data on one of the cycling calendar’s biggest days.

Our experienced selection also includes the only Belgian in our rider roster, The latter duo have competed in the race a combined total of 25 times in their respective careers.

Bernie Eisel:

“We’re talking about the hardest races of the season and the illness at Algarve and have taken some time to recover. The problem with the Classics is that there is no place to hide and that’s the beauty of the sport.”

“At the Classics, when you’re at the top you’re at the top and when you’re not there, well then you’re nowhere. This is where we’ve been struggling at the moment but there are great signs of better form and that’s really good already. Our focus is definitely on Eddy with probably Michael and Reinie to have a bit of an outsider role. Eddy will be the captain but we can’t expect miracles of them because you can’t hide here and the best riders will be up there, especially as it’s Flanders.

“It’s pretty much just a training ride until you hit the first cobbles or crunch-point of the race, you already have 150km in your legs and normally at other races you’re going into the final at that point but here you still have 110km to go and all the major climbs are waiting for you. It’s going to be about positioning, finding the right moment for us to be in the right group and not waiting. That’s the point for the helpers on the day, to get the guys to around the 180km mark without them spending energy up to that point, and get them safely through.

“From there it’s pretty much the tactics and the legs that will do the talking for the outcome. It’s time to show something too – we can’t talk about races still to come – the Vlaanderen classics are all but over with just two races after this and we better do something!

“The spirit is good, the weather is good and crazy Belgium is ready for the Ronde and there are already thousands of riders on the road ahead of the sportive – bring on Sunday!”

Roster: Julien Vermote, Reinardt Janse van Rensburg, Jay Thomson, Bernie Eisel, Lars Bak, Edvald Boasson Hagen and Michael Valgren

Trek – Segafredo:

Jasper Stuyven: “For myself I think I am more in the underdog position at the moment. I didn’t have the same feeling as last year in the previous races, so that’s not ideal but I think I am strong enough to be up there.”

“With the team we will have at the start, we can definitely get what we are aiming for and how we raced last Sunday, that’s the way we have to go out there again. We showed in Gent-Wevelgem that we were there in the final and John could stay easy in the group and Mads (Pedersen) and I attacked, and I think we never let Deceuninck-Quick-Step take full control. I think this is what we can also do in other races and it’s what we had in mind coming to these races, to begin with.”

John Degenkolb: “The plan for the upcoming races is indeed to tackle them in a similar way (as in Gent-Wevelgem): race aggressively, race together, use our strength. We have done our homework, put in a lot of dedication this Winter and now we just need to put it out on the road.”

Mads Pedersen: “It’s nice and exciting to be at the start line again after finishing 2nd last year. We have to show something now. As John just said, we did a good race last Sunday and we have to show it again next Sunday. The confidence could be higher, but I truly still believe we can do something good.”

John Degenkolb: “The ideal scenario would be that we are still at least two guys up there on the final ascent of the Kwaremont because then you still have multiple cards to play. If you race in a smart way, you can support each other in a good way to save energy, but that being said I think we will definitely have to sacrifice some guys to be up there at the key moments. Flanders is all about positioning and if in those key moments you don’t have anyone to make the positioning for you, it will cost you a lot of energy. At a certain point every team, us included, will have to make choices and decide in which direction to go and who will be the guy who spends the least energy to have something left for the last part of the race. Who that guy will be for us, has not been decided yet and it is not my call to make. I definitely want to help the team to perform as well as possible. In the end, you never know what can happen in this race. Look at last year, nobody had expected Mads to be up there, but he finishes on the podium. That’s what makes Flanders so special, really anything can happen.”

On his preparations for this Classics campaign:

Jasper Stuyven: “What I did different as compared to last year was that I got sick (laughs). That’s obviously not the ideal preparation but we will see after the Classics if it turned out well in the end. It’s not that I wanted to peak to one particular race. The Classics is all about this period of 3 weeks where you want to be as good as possible and where you are hoping for a little bit of luck and for that super day on a race day instead of on one of the rest days in between

Roster: Jasper Stuyven, John Degenkolb, Mads Pedersen, Koen de Kort, Alex Kirsch, Kiel Reijnen and Edward Theuns

Lotto Soudal:

At Lotto Soudal as well, everyone has been looking forward to the Tour of Flanders for a very long time. With both Tiesj Benoot and Tim Wellens taking the start, the team has two leaders in the race. Benoot finished eighth last year and he took the fifth place during his first participation in 2015. Wellens will make his debut in this cycling monument on Sunday. The past spring Classics did not always meet the expectations, partly due to bad luck. Yet both leaders are clearly in excellent shape. It is time to let them give their preview on the 103rd edition of the Tour of Flanders.

Tim Wellens: “I am obviously looking forward to it and I am very motivated. After Tirreno-Adriatico, I asked to take part in the Tour of Flanders. I then took four days of rest, because that was necessary after a somewhat disappointing result. Then I resumed training, including some tough sessions. Sometimes it is essential to schedule a few rest days, as I did, because afterwards I could train more qualitatively. Now I hope to reap the benefits in the races. Most professional cyclists are very dedicated to their profession and therefore they may train a little too much. At that moment, it is vital to have people around you who act as a brake and ensure that the right harmony is kept.”

“For me, two extremes are possible in the Tour of Flanders. The worst-case scenario is that I would not play any significant role, which should not be a disaster though. Of course, I will do my utmost, but the Tour of Flanders is not a main objective for me. In the best case, I am able to compete in the finale. Riders like van Aert and van der Poel have proven that this is possible in a first participation. My limited knowledge about the course and positioning during crucial moments are not really in my favour. That is one of the reasons why Nikolas Maes is a very important rider in our team. Furthermore, it is a pleasure to have sports directors like Herman Frison and Marc Sergeant, who pass on their knowledge from the team car.”

Tiesj Benoot: “For me, the Tour of Flanders is definitely the most wonderful race of the spring. For a Flemish boy who could become a professional rider, that is an easy choice. The enormous public attendance along the entire course makes it a dream race, more than any other. My fifth place in Dwars door Vlaanderen confirmed my good shape. I broke clear with the best riders in the race and that gives me a lot of confidence. However, a fifth place is not what I hoped for beforehand. I was aiming for a better result and that is why I tried to take the initiative on the Knokteberg.”

“On Sunday, I will probably have to do it the same way in order to achieve the best possible result. Then it is also crucial to have a Deceuninck-Quick Step rider as a companion, because they stand out as a team. They are so strong in general that, when necessary, they can sacrifice some leaders to chase. In addition, van Aert and van der Poel are two guys to certainly keep an eye on. They have already showed some major performances this season.”

“In the Tour of Flanders, often the focus is only on the climbs, but the parts in between are just as hazardous. In any case, it will be a red alert level for all favourites from the Taaienberg zone on. I hope that the team can make sure we stay out of trouble during the first 200 kilometres. After that, we want to have two or three riders in the front, with Wellens, Keukeleire and myself. In Dwars door Vlaanderen we rode a great race as a team. We were in the right position at the right time and everyone is ready to repeat that on Sunday.”

Roster: Tiesj Benoot, Frederik Frison, Jens Keukeleire, Nikolas Maes, Lawrence Naesen, Brian van Goethem and Tim Wellens.

Deceuninck – Quick-Step:

Deceuninck – Quick-Step will go into the race having won a total of twenty races so far this season, including Milano-Sanremo, Strade Bianche, Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and E3 Harelbeke, the latter being always an indicator for what could come at De Ronde, as it packs a similar course, albeit shorter. Having won E3 Harelbeke last week, Zdenek Sybar is naturally one of the main favourites for victory, a status he thoroughly enjoys.

Philippe Gilbert, Bob Jungels, Yves Lampaert and Zdenek Stybar shared their thoughts ahead of Sunday’s race.

“I did everything to be ready for Sunday, I’m happy to be regarded as one of the big contenders and I hope the race will go well and luck will be on our side. It’s not just one of the most important races of the season, but also a personal favourite for our team and we are confident and motivated to keep it rolling for the Wolfpack”, said Stybar at the press conference hosted at the Deceuninck Headquarters in Hooglede-Gits.

Two years ago, Philippe Gilbert soloed to an unforgettable victory in Flanders, after attacking 57 kilometers out and holding off the chasers for his fourth career Monument win. The Belgian will look to be again there in the final hour of racing, although he admits that having to stop Wednesday’s Dwars door Vlaanderen due to stomach problems won’t make it an easy task.

“Of course, it’s not the best preparation to get sick ahead of a big goal, but I hope it will still be possible to do something. As you can see, our roster is a strong one, comprising many talented riders who can make the difference. We have to ride smart again and count on several riders in the final, because having the numbers is always the best situation you can find yourself in.”

Bob Jungels was one of the cobbled Classics’ strongest and most impressive performers, riding to a great win at Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne and finishing third at Dwars door Vlaanderen, as well as setting up teammate Zdenek Stybar for victory in E3 Harelbeke.

“Being at this level before Flanders gives me a lot of satisfaction, because it means I’ve had a very good winter and a nice preparation in Colombia. It will be my first time in the Ronde and I’m proud to be here with these guys and really honoured to be named among the favourites, but what really matters in the end is what we’ll do during the race, for which we are prepared”, said Bob, who’ll make his final appearance at the Classics before going on an altitude training camp for the Giro d’Italia.

Also on Deceuninck – Quick-Step team’s for Sunday will be Kasper Asgreen, Tim Declercq, Iljo Keisse and Yves Lampaert, for whom riding Ronde van Vlaanderen with the Belgian Champion jersey on his shoulders “will be a special feeling and I’m ready to enjoy every single moment of the race”.

Roster: Philippe Gilbert, Bob Jungels, Yves Lampaert, Zdenek Stybar, Kasper Asgreen, Tim Declercq, Iljo Keisse and Yves Lampaert