Not only was Greg Van Avermaat said to be in great shape, but Saturday's race was the first classic race in which the Olympic champion was paired with newcomer Matteo Trentin.

It was a new experience for Van Avermaat, who in previous years has not had a co-leader. Adding to the attention is the fact that CCC is the only WorldTour team without a win in 2020.

While the number did not tick down on Saturday, there were positives after a day of mixed emotions. Trenčín finished in fourth place, and the frustration of his fallen car in Mühl van Gerardsbergen was mitigated by the fact that he ran on both sides of it.

However, the day got off to a bad start. When the race was split by a crosswind after only 60km, CCC disappeared from the lead pack altogether and was forced into chase mode. Thanks to the dashcam in the team car, we learned what coach Valerio Piva had decided. Come on, guys," he exclaimed irritably. 'I've told you a thousand times.'

"I've told you a thousand times."

At Ninove's finish, Trentin did not mince words.

"I don't know what happened, but the trek split at 62km and I got caught up from behind.

The group then rejoined as one, and CCC made good use of their numbers to keep the race going. Van Avermaat attacked before Reckelberg with 76km to go, and after being reeled in, Trentin attacked next, which led to the win.

"We regrouped and got back to zero," Trentin said. "Everyone was running, we split the pack ourselves, went back, and from there it was a constant presence. Every move was with Greg and me, and my moves were stuck."

Trentin fell on the mules, Van Avermaert stuck at the back

Trentin had six companions, but on the mules (the final climb) he fell behind Jasper Steiven, Yves Lampert, and Søren Krag Andersen. In time trial mode, he closed the gap to 10 seconds on the descent of the Bosberg, but was unable to close the gap in the 13 km to the finish.

"I can't be too disappointed. I couldn't keep up with everyone in Mule. I ran super hard and basically ran 15km by myself and only lost a few seconds to the finish."

"With three guys running, everyone knows they're going to be on the podium and it makes it easier for everyone to work. If they look at each other and stop running, even for just 10 seconds, I will definitely be back.

"Of course, next time I need to be there. Willingness is about winning, not about chasing somewhere and having a good time trial alone.

Van Avermaert, a two-time winner, was frustrated that his attack had come up empty, and after Trentin cleared, he gave up watching silently as the race unfolded out of his control. After Trentin cleared, he could do nothing but sit back and watch the race unfold beyond his control.

"I had a feeling it was going to happen there. But nobody joined me. Then they ran away," Van Avermaat said.

"It was an ideal group. The chase group didn't have any teammates to help them. Everyone was dead. I knew that on a course like this it would be hard to get them back once they were more than two minutes behind. In the chase group, they weren't capable of doing much of a job, and I knew it was over."

"Tactics. It wasn't bad, but that's cycling. It was good in a way because I was able to conserve energy within the chase group. That's cycling.

Although he could not show it, Van Avermaat's form was clearly there, and although Trentin admitted there was "still work to be done," he felt it was "to be expected."

"Of course, it's a disappointing result, but I'm happy with my race and with the team's performance today," Trentin concluded.

"I was on the back foot but managed to recover and get to the front in the next breakaway. The team handled a bad situation well." All of this is good for the upcoming classics.