Intermarché-Wanty launches its classics campaign on Belgian soil with three races in four days: Omloop Het Nieuwsblad (1.WT) this Saturday, March 1st, followed by Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne (1.Pro) on Sunday, March 2nd, and the first Walloon race of the season with the Samyn Classic (1.1) on Tuesday, March 4th. A group of eleven riders will compete under the direction of Aike Visbeek, Dimitri Claeys, and Franky Van Haesebroucke.
Finally, on Tuesday, March 4th, Laurenz Rex defends his title at the Samyn Classic, which traditionally opens the Walloon cycling calendar with a 200-kilometer race through the province of Hainaut, starting from Quaregnon to Dour, with 12 kilometers of cobbled sectors to cover in the last four laps. One year ago, the rider from Raeren triumphed in a powerful sprint, his first professional victory with Intermarché-Wanty.
"Regularly throughout the winter, we trained in the Flemish Ardennes with our group for the classics. We did the recon of Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne and Ghent-Wevelgem in November, then in January we tested our new Hutchinson tires on the cobbles of Omloop Het Nieuwsblad. The final recon before the Belgian opening weekend is traditionally an important event for the entire team, to refresh our memory of the course and the sensations on the cobbles. I am convinced that we are ready for these first appointments with the Flemish Ardennes. Collectively during the Tour of the Algarve, we were solid around Biniam Girmay. On a personal level, I have received a lot of confidence from my teammates in my new role as captain. This gives me a lot of satisfaction and motivates me to improve the details to perfect our sprint train. Now, I am eagerly looking forward to this opening weekend, with the goal of doing better than last year. I feel physically stronger, but I have also gained maturity. For example, my double crash at Paris-Roubaix taught me to manage external expectations and pressure. Since then, I have focused on my preparation and not on the chaotic factors that can occur in the classics, and which are beyond your control. The work done in recent weeks has been effective. I feel really good, so I know I am capable of great things."
"We have been eagerly awaiting this long Belgian opening weekend, which we have meticulously prepared. Despite the absences of Biniam Girmay, who became a father for the second time, and Hugo Page, who is ill, we still have a solid and broad selection, allowing us to field fresh riders in each of the three classics. We saw at the Tour of the Algarve that the condition is there. I'm particularly thinking of Laurenz Rex; I'm proud of his development as a leader. He is now physically stronger and more experienced than last season. With his current form, we can expect him to play a role in the finals of Nieuwsblad and Samyn Classic. At Kuurne on Sunday, our spearheads will be Vito Braet and Arne Marit, as fast riders, and we are looking forward to Taco van der Hoorn's return to the classics. He knows the course like no one else and is an important element of our group for the spring. We can expect open and attractive races, with a chance of a large bunch sprint at Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne, especially if the wind blows strongly in the finale and reduces the chances of the breakaways surviving."
