The headline in Friday morning's Het Nieuwsblad hardly needed translation: "Vlaanderen bidt voor mirakel," a photo of Wout van Aert and an article about a disease that is threatening Belgium's participation in cycling's most grand event was captioned above: "Flanders prays for a miracle. No miracle happened. Late Friday night, Wout Van Art confirmed on Instagram that he tested positive for COVID-19. After an outstanding performance on the cobbles this spring, he was the overwhelming favorite to win the Tour de Flanders, but he has disappeared from the race altogether. Even before Van Aert's absence was confirmed, the disappointment of his fan club was palpable. They had planned to camp out at Oude Kwaremont on Sunday, but now it seems that is not the case.
Club president Peter van Eshelpoel lamented to Het Nieuwsblad. 'To see Van der Pol attack.
VanArt fanatic or not, Ude Kwaremont is in the same place on Sunday, but with the winner of the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and the E3 Saxo Bank Classic not on the starting line, the tectonic shift in Ronde is quite significant.
Currently, aside from Van Aert, the five-star favorite in the Ronde is inseparable rival Mathieu Van Der Poel. And, at least in theory, the responsibility for controlling the race shifts from Jumbo Visma to Van der Poel's Alpecin Phoenix Guard. Unlike Jumbo Visma, who has used favourites Tiesj Benoot (2nd in Dwars door Hlaanderen) and Christophe Laporte (2nd in Hallerbeek and Ghent-Wevelgem) as foils for Van Aert, the Alpecin Phoenix's chances rest on Van der Poel's shoulders. Van der Poel's chances rest on his shoulders. I may have to carry more races, but I'm not afraid," he said. Alpecin Phoenix manager Philippe Rudhoeft told Sporza that the team's chances of winning the race are "very good," and that the team is "looking forward to it. I'm not afraid," Alpecin Phoenix manager Philippe Roodhoeft told Sporza, "I'm not afraid that I might have to carry more races. But it doesn't affect the way Mathieu looks at Rondo."
Oliver Naessen (AG2R Citroen) sees things from a different angle: the Belgian rider, who fell ill in March and crashed at Dwar door Hlaanderen, was depressed about his prospects. But now, for better or worse, he sees the dynamic in this rondo changing dramatically now that the strongest rider in the race is no longer backed by the strongest team. Riders like Tom Pidcock (Ineos) and Stefan Küng (Groupama-FDJ), who are already considered favourites to win, may depart with even greater conviction. Who will lead the way? Who will lead the pack and how will they respond to the break? Who are the favourites besides Mathieu? ...... No one knows," Nessen said. 'Sunday will be the Wild West. This sense of lawlessness is exacerbated by the fact that the area's usual sheriff has his own longstanding problems. Patrick Lefebvre admitted Thursday that his Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl team, which has won eight times in 20 years, will not be able to compete in its usual aggressive races due to a dwindling roster.
Yves Lampert and Zdenek Stival have been ill in recent weeks, and the team has not added to its cobbled classic unit in the transfer market for some time, devoting resources to supporting Remco Evenpole. Only defending champion Kasper Asgreen, who finished third in Strade Bianche, can offer any assurances, but it seems unlikely that the self-proclaimed Wolfpack will ever be the collective force it once was. A year ago, Asgreen not only benefited from the support of world champion Julian Alaphilippe (absent this time, participating in a different spring program), but also was third as van Aal and van der Pol immersed themselves in the latest installment of the endless duel.
"In the last few years, when they were fighting together, it was sometimes good for us," Lefebvre said. Like Germany at the soccer World Cup or Roger Federer at Wimbledon, Quick-Step will not be overlooked in the region's races. He may produce another winner on Sunday, but he will almost certainly have to run a different race to do so.
"You have to be intelligent enough to know when you have the race in your hands and when you don't," Lefebvre said.
"It's also true that I'm not used to defensive races. I'm used to racing aggressively."
This year marks the 10th anniversary of the controversial rerouting of the Tour de Flanders, when the finale was changed from Ninove to Oudenaarde. In the opening race of that new era, the difficulty of the new route led to conservative racing, with important moves being made in the final sections of Oude Kwaremont and Paterberg, but then the tactical approach gradually changed. In hindsight, the watershed moment was Tom Boonen's last ronde in 2017, when he contributed to Philippe Gilbert's 55km solo victory. Since then, Quick Step athletes have typically moved to the front early and often, but the new generation of athletes, led by Van Aert and Van der Pol, have tended to try to open the race from much further back than those before them. Given this, Van Aert's absence is unlikely to change the race significantly.
"Before, the favorites for the championship used to race more defensively," said teammate Tiesj Benoot.
"Even without Wout," said teammate Tiesj Benoot, "it will be a long final.
The roles of Benoot and Laporte will, of course, change dramatically. Whereas in the past Terpstra and Chavanel seemed to play off of Van Aert's Bohnen, now they are the players responsible for leading Jumbo Visma's line. While both men insist that the team's race will be different without Van Aert, Matteo Trentin (UAE Team Emirates) suggested that the men in yellow and black, who dominated on the cobbles in 2022, have a path to victory.
"There is no doubt that Yumbo is still the favorite to win. I don't think the presence or absence of Van Art will change things." On the other hand, the presence of Tadej Pogachar is certainly a possibility. The Slovenian has already experienced the cobbles in Wednesday's Dwars Door Hlaanderen. Van der Pol, Pidcock, Kühn, and Benoot worked brilliantly together to fend off Pogachar's pursuit. His strength makes him the most dangerous debutant, especially at the Monument distance. The Tour of Flanders has lost an outstanding favorite, but the possibilities are endless. It's the same as it has always been. By Sunday afternoon, the Fan Art fan club will have changed its mind about watching the race.
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