This Sunday 31st of March, Intermarché-Wanty concludes the “holy week” of Flemish classics with the second Monument of the season, the Tour of Flanders. Starting from Antwerp shortly after 10h, the riders begin a 270-kilometer war of attrition, with a total of seventeen climbs and seven cobbled sections.
The first passage of the Old Kwaremont awaits after 135 kilometers of racing, followed by a series of cobble sections and hills in the Flemish Ardennes, until reaching the famous Koppenberg 50 kilometers before the finish and a double passage of the Old Kwaremont and Paterberg. This last difficulty looms 15 kilometers to the finish in Oudenaarde.
Under the direction of Aike Visbeek, Dimitri Claeys and Steven De Neef, the Walloon World Team refined its preparation for the Ronde during a final course recon this Thursday.
Involved in a heavy crash on Dwars door Vlaanderen on Wednesday, Biniam Girmay and Laurenz Rex did not sustain any fractures and are ready to lead the selection this Sunday, alongside Mike Teunissen.
With his eight participations, Adrien Petit is the most experienced member of the selection, which also relies on the young Dries De Pooter, one of the protagonists of Dwars door Vlaanderen, as well as on Georg Zimmermann and Hugo Page who will discover the Monument.
“Collectively, we performed very well in all classics the past couple of weeks. We have the will and the possibilities to achieve a good result this Sunday. The upcoming Tour of Flanders will be unpredictable, so we are prepared for all kinds of scenarios. Our goal is to bring Biniam Girmay, Laurenz Rex and Mike Teunissen in position for a good result. Following his heavy crash in Dwars door Vlaanderen, Biniam Girmay's preparation is far from perfect, but he is very motivated. Our medical team is working with him every day to get him fit in time for the start. Our six other riders are ready for the second Monument of the season after our recon on Thursday. Next to our three leaders, our debutants Hugo Page and Georg Zimmermann are given a free role to race offensively. Our team can also rely on the experience of Adrien Petit and on our young Belgian Dries De Pooter, who showed his qualities with a strong performance in the lead of the race in Dwars door Vlaanderen on Wednesday.”
