Tim Wellens speaks for UAE ahead of Omloop and Kuurne: “Use the strength of the team”

Wellens and Politt have finished close in races before, but winning - without Tadej Pogacar - is still proving difficult. "For us Belgians, it is where we say that the season really starts, so it is super important. Like every year, I am really looking forward to it. I am always good at the beginning of the season," Wellens said.

“The last race I had, I had a really good feeling, I was really happy to win Jaén, and to continue my 13-year streak of winning at least one race a season. This gives me a lot of motivation to keep aiming for more,” he added.

UAE Team Emirates-XRG head into the weekend with depth across different race scenarios, even if they do have a notable absence. “We have a very strong team. Of course, we will miss Jhony [Narváez] very much after his crash at the Tour Down Under, but for the rest, we have Nils, Florian, and others, so I hope we can continue to do what we do every race. That is using the strength of the team,” Wellens explained.

Opening Weekend often comes down to positioning, timing and a bit of chaos — and Wellens expects more of the same on Saturday and Sunday. “Opening Weekend is always stressful, with the battle for positioning being super important, and sometimes it is an open race. I remember when Dylan Van Baarle won, he went pretty far from the finish. Sometimes, it is a sprint. You just never know with the Flemish Classics, anything can happen!” he said.

Alongside Wellens, Vermeersch and Politt, UAE complete the selection with Rune Herregodts, Julius Johansen, Rui Oliveira and sprinter Juan Sebastián Molano.

Tim Wellens
Rune Herregodts
Florian Vermeersch
Julius Johansen
Sebastián Molano
Rui Oliveira
Nils Politt