Niermann sees reasons for optimism as Van Aert and Visma | Lease a Bike build toward Tour of Flanders

'What feeling prevails? Disappointment.'

So says Niermann. “Wout rode his heart out, the peloton was right on his heels, and then he got beaten at the finish. But he rode an amazing race. Ganna had to change bikes twice at bad moments, came back strong both times, and still managed to win, so he also rode an amazing race.”

So what was Visma | Lease a Bike missing? ‘It's easy to say, but if someone had been on Ganna's wheel, he probably wouldn't have kept pushing. But we did our best with Per there, too.’

Christophe Laporte ultimately led the peloton’s sprint, in which Matthew Brennan was absent. “Of course that would have made a difference, because then we’d have had an extra card to play and we could have taken some of the wind out of the chasing teams’ sails. But unfortunately, he had to drop back on the Eikenberg.”

“Matthew is coming back from illness and, unfortunately, he’s not yet at the level we’d like him to be. But we expect him to improve race by race,” said the German, who denies that starting him was against better judgment.

‘It’s not that we’re letting a sick rider start. He’s healthy and okay, but in these races you have to be 100 percent. He’s missed training sessions in recent weeks, and you can see that.’

Nevertheless, Brennan is still counting on him for the Tour of Flanders. ‘We have to make do with the riders we have. We’ve already lost Timo Kielich, a rider who played a very important role. Matthew can also take on that kind of supporting role. As things stand now, he will start.’

A Tour of Flanders that Visma | Lease a Bike heads into with confidence. “Apart from the Omloop, where we finished fourth, we’ve been on the podium everywhere, so we’re definitely heading into the Tour of Flanders with confidence.”

“With Wout, Christophe, and Per—who has made such a huge step forward, which is fantastic—we have three strong contenders. But I see us as challengers, not as favorites. So we’re not going to control the race,” he states firmly.

‘Wout is on a good run, but that doesn’t change the fact that Tadej Pogacar is the big favorite. Remco Evenepoel is joining us too, and he’s never ridden this race before. It’s a race where it’s not just about having strong legs, but also about being in the right position at the right moment and having explosiveness. But I think it can only be a good thing to have an extra rider in the final.’

“We asked Jonas if he wanted to ride, but he didn’t want to,” said Niermann with a wink after the Evenepoel news. “We were already joking on the bus that that’s why he held back in Catalonia. Joking aside: it’s also to our advantage, an extra player in the final.”

Enough joking around: what feeling will prevail on Thursday as the road to the Tour of Flanders continues? ‘Wout looks very good. He outpaced everyone, and yes, Mathieu and Tadej weren’t there, which just goes to show he’s in good shape. But we really wanted to win here, so that’s a bit of a bummer for now.’

“Less bitter than last year, if you want to know.”