The hills of the Flanders Ardennes are the usual place to be, but the terrain of the land is somewhat different in the peloton, which begins its final approach to the Tour de Flanders on Friday with the E3 Saxo Bank Classic. In this corner of the world, it seems, the road to victory does not always lead through quick-step Alfa Vinyl.

Casper Asgreen should know. Last year he won both the E3 and the Tour of Flanders, but this season the Quick-Step Alfa Vinyl team is not yet firing on all cylinders on the cobblestones. Of course, it's all relative. However, at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, the team lost to Jumbo Visma, led by Wout Van Aert, and has been struggling with poor health ever since.

"Going into the race, we may not be the strongest team. We're certainly not the dominant team that we were last year, but I think we still have great riders," Asgreen told reporters on a video call Thursday afternoon.

"The main pressure is on Jumbo. Their strength and their riding is really great. But with that strength also comes a certain responsibility. [Their dominance on the cobbles has always been threatened by riders with outstanding strength, such as Fabian Cancellara, Peter Sagan, Mathieu van der Pol, and Van Aert. This time, however, Quick Step must face a new challenge. Namely, the incredible depth of Jumbo Visma, which has acquired Tiesj Benoot and Christophe Laporte.

"They have strengthened their Classic team over the winter. 'We have to respect them for that. They will probably be in the same position we have been in the last few years. They will have a lot of work to do, and in Flanders they may have to pull it alone until the finals start."

"That will depend on the results of the next week. But as it stands, we can't match their strength. That's their job, plain and simple."

Asgreen's assessment was realistic rather than defeatist, and he struck an optimistic tone ahead of the Harelbæk and Ghent-Wevelgem races over the weekend. He said, "Jumbo's chances of losing at Paris-Nice have been proven by the Paris-Nice race.

The Dane is a strong candidate for Quick Step in Harelbeke, with 2019 winner Zdenek Stibal also on board. Yves Lampaert, who abandoned Paris-Nice due to illness, will be ready to compete in Ghent-Wevelgem, where Fabio Jacobsen is the sprinter.

"It was also a wise decision to pull them out of the race a little early," Asgreen said of Stybar and Lampaert's early withdrawal from Paris-Nice. If they are fully committed to finishing the race, then it's over."

Asgreen missed the Tour de la Provence in early spring due to COVID-19. But he was already up to speed when he finished third behind Tadey Pogachar (UAE Team Emirates) in Strade Bianche.

"Strade Bianche is a course that is probably at the limit of my ability. So to get to the top there was a really good sign for me," Asgreen said.

"Paris-Roubaix was late this year, so I needed to have a training block. And after Tirreno was my only chance. "

A year ago in the Ronde, Asgreen relied on Julian Alaphilippe, but the world champion chose to skip the cobbled classic this time around. Alaphilippe's absence is a major weapon for the team.

"I think the biggest difference will be on the hardest climbs like Berendries and Koppenberg," Alaphilippe said. The others are a bit bigger than average, so they will be in a bit more defensive position on the longer, steeper climbs. It changes the dynamics a little bit, but you have to be aware of that and think about it."

Then again, Quick Step has lost none of its power over the past five years, losing players like Tom Boonen, Philippe Gilbert, Niki Terpstra, and Bob Jungels; a year ago in Harelbeke, Stybar and Florian Senechal were the only two chasers to make the Asgren's chasers in the rear of the field.

It remains to be seen if they can work a similar angle this time. If not, Asgreen's chasing off Van der Poel in the Tour of Flanders shows that the usual script can always be rewritten in a race like this.

"We may have to change our tactics a little bit," said Van der Poel. We may have to catch our opponents a little more mano a mano, like we did in Flanders."

Quick Step Alpha Vinyl in the E3 Saxo Bank Classic: Kasper Asgreen (Denmark), Davide Ballerini (Italy), Mikkel Honoré (Denmark), Florian Senechal (France), Stein Steels (Belgium), Jannik Steimle (Germany), Zdenek Stybar (Czech Republic)

Quick Step - Alphavinyl (Gent-Wevelgem): Kasper Asgreen (Denmark), Davide Ballerini (Italy), Fabio Jacobsen (Nedo), Florian Seneschal (Fra), Iljo Keisse (Bel), Yves Lampert (Bel), Bert Van Lerberghe (Bel)