Visma | Lease a Bike never doubted Van Aert would miss E3: “No idea where that came from”

The E3 Prize is widely regarded as one of the more spectacular races of the Flemish spring. Still, a number of major names are skipping the independent Belgian race. Along with Pogačar and Van Aert, Filippo Ganna, Tom Pidcock, and the injury-hit Stefan Küng and Tim Wellens are also not on the start list.

That leaves Van der Poel as the only former winner lining up for this cobbled Classic. Visma | Lease a Bike do, however, have a rider with a winning pedigree in their squad in Christophe Laporte. The Frenchman finished second behind Van Aert in 2024, when the pair crossed the line together.

The Frenchman is once again one of the key men for the Dutch team this year, although sports director Van Dongen stressed that he is not the only leader. “We have a strong line-up, but it’s not up to us to control the race. With Christophe Laporte and Per Strand Hagenes, we are going for the best possible result.”

So alongside Laporte, Hagenes will also be given a protected role. The Norwegian has already shown impressive form this season in both Le Samyn and GP Denain, where he spent a long time on the attack deep into the finales. The reward for those strong displays now comes in the form of leadership at E3. Van Dongen has clear faith in his cards. “They feel good and they are ready.”

The E3 course has been changed this year and made tougher. Opinions on that are still divided across the peloton. Van Dongen was asked about it as well. “Our view is that it’s not much harder than last year. The extra passage over the Kwaremont is definitely hard, but it was already such a tough race.”

According to the Visma | Lease a Bike sports director, the revised route does not affect the identity of the top favourite. “Van der Poel is still the big favourite. For him, it makes no difference whether the course is like this year or like last year,” Van Dongen said clearly. Visma | Lease a Bike will therefore take on the Dutchman without team leader Van Aert, despite the rumours that surfaced after Milan-Sanremo.

“There were rumours in the press that he might still ride and that we would make a decision on Wednesday, but I have no idea where that came from,” Van Dongen said, dismissing the speculation. “We had already decided a long time ago that Wout would not do this race.”

So there was never any question of changing course. “Wout had a bit of a setback from his illness around Opening Weekend, but there was never any doubt about changing our plans. He is ready for the next races,” Van Dongen said with confidence. That confidence will now be placed in Laporte and Hagenes during E3, as Visma | Lease a Bike hope they can find a way to challenge Van der Poel.