Elisa Balsamo is on a winning streak in the Bruges des Pannes, Trofeo Alfredo Binda, and Ghent-Wevelgem. However, some have questioned whether she is suited to the challenging route of Sunday's Tour de Flanders.

On Friday, the world champion put speculation to rest, saying, "I will fight and try to survive," and classifying De Ronde as a priority.

"Yes, Flanders and these weeks of the (spring) Classics were very important for my season. I'm in good shape now and after this I'm going to rest.

"It's a hard race, it's cold and it might rain. Also, I think a lot of teams want to race full gas because they don't want to sprint. Of course, we will fight to survive on the last hill. We have a variety of riders who can make the race, so I don't feel any pressure, I will just do what I do best."

Balsamo won the world title in a reduced group sprint at the UCI Road World Championships in Flanders last fall. He has won four races so far this season, but said that returning to Flanders in the rainbow jersey will be a special moment.

"For me, it is always an honor to wear this jersey. I won this jersey in Belgium and to race here again like last weekend [in Gent-Wevelgem] is very special. It's a very hard race (Tour de Flanders), but we are a great team and we have many solutions. As I said before, I want to enjoy this jersey from the first day to the last day."

Balsamo, a young 24-year-old (open in new tab), spoke of her childhood and her parents' love of the sport that led her to cycling.

Her father was at the finish line in Ghent-Wevelgem when she won her third straight Trek Segafred (open in new tab) o this month. (Open in new tab)

"My parents were here and they were here last week. When I was a kid, my parents gave me a love for cycling. My parents love cycling too, and it's always nice to win with them and their loved ones. They have cheered me on every day since I was a kid. It's nice to be able to share these beautiful moments with them," she said of her family.

Balsamo will line up alongside a strong Trek-Segafredo team that includes former Tour of Flanders winner Elisa Longo Borghini, Ellen van Dijk, Lucinda Brand, Audrey Cordon-Lago and Leah Thomas.

The trio of van Dijk, Longo Borghini, and Balsamo appear to have the winning connections, as they are often seen on television teaming up in the finals.

However, Longo Borghini spoke of how important it is for race viewers to understand that cycling is a team sport. Live broadcasts often show only the last 30-40 km of the top-class women's race and the riders in the final, and do not reveal the first two-thirds of the race's development.

"Because they show the final (on TV), you can see how well the three of us work together, but there are three other athletes who give their all from the first three-quarters of the race. It's not just the three of us, the whole team is working very well together. Trek Segafredo is overshadowed by many of the other riders because of the limited live streaming.

Balsamo thanked his teammates for their support during the Spring Classics and thanked Longo Borghini and van Dijk for their work.

"During the race there is good communication between us, which is important. It is an honor to have super big champions like Elisa and Ellen working for me. This is cycling and this is a team. Cycling is a team sport and we proved that in the last race. "

In Flanders, the women's peloton will cover 159km, including 11 climbs. The most decisive climbs are the Koppenberg, the Kruisberg/Hotonde, which was added to the women's route this year, and the Ude Kwaremont and Paterberg, a series of 14 km before the run-in to Oudenaarde.

Balsamo is the most likely candidate, as she is on an unbeaten streak. Still, Annemiek van Vleuten (Movistar), Marianne Voss (Jumbo Visma), Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig (FDJ Nouvelle Aquitaine Futuroscope), Lotte Kopecky and Demi Volering, Chantal van den Broeck-Braak's SD Works trio, among other leading players.

Vollering noted that it will be important for her team SD Volks to distance themselves from Balsamo on the climb and isolate van Breuten, as was Kopecky's winning strategy in Strade Bianche, which she won.

Van Dijk noted the similarities between SD Walks and Trek-Segafredo, but wondered if any of them would distance themselves from Balsamo in the Tour of Flanders.

"We always have Elisa Balsamo as an option. Not that we can do anything in the race other than take Balsamo to the finish, but this option would certainly be our best card in the sprint. As we know, Flanders doesn't always end in a sprint.

"I know you are thinking of getting rid of Balsamo, but I know how strong she is, so good luck to her.