Visma | Lease a Bike, Van Aert, and Kooij aim to beat Pogacar, but currently see advantage in his absence

That news came three days before the 'mini Tour of Flanders' started. Pogacar was initially scheduled to ride both the E3 Prize and Gent-Wevelgem one week before the Tour of Flanders, but with the addition of Paris-Roubaix, he has canceled both races. On the other hand, Van Aert will be at the start of the E3 Saxo Classic after weeks of altitude training.

So there will be not three, but two big favorites racing for victory on the Friday before Gent-Wevelgem. "It will affect the race," says Grischa Niermann, sports director for Van Aert at Visma | Lease a Bike, about Pogacar's absence. "But there are still strong riders and teams. Van der Poel is still the favorite."

Even though Pogacar will not be at the start, Niermann believes it will still be a great race. On the other hand, the focus will shift more to Van Aert and thus Visma | Lease a Bike. A disadvantage for the Dutch team and the Belgian cyclist? "We'll see. We mainly look at ourselves because we want to do well and perform."

Niermann, who spoke to the press and IDLProCycling.com before the WorldTour classic Bruges-De Panne, sees the advantage of Pogacar's absence. "I would say: we also want to beat Tadej Pogacar. But if he's not there, it means one competitor less. So, on the other hand, it also increases the chances of winning."

"It will be different for Sunday," the German continues. Then, the three top riders will all be absent. "That is why we will start with Olav Kooij," Niermann explains Kooij's choice. The chance of a group sprint is more than likely. "He certainly has a good chance."

Nevertheless, the sports director sees danger in the race, which goes over the Kemmelberg several times. "If I look at the weather reports, especially the wind, it promises to be a tough day, over 250 kilometers. It will be difficult for a sprinter to survive this race, but there is a good chance of a bunch sprint."

And then the team with Kooij hopes to be able to sprint for the win. In Milan-Sanremo, the young Dutch rider was able to join the first chasing group and finished eighth. "Olav is in good form. He showed in Sanremo that he could perform in the long and tough races and survive them well. He doesn't mind bad weather and wind either. He is a real racer, so he has every chance on Sunday."

Visma | Lease a Bike hopes Kooij will have recovered by Sunday, as the powerful sprinter crashed in the final of the Brugge-De Panne race, sustaining abrasions in the process. "Unfortunately, Olav also hit the ground, but the injuries seem minor and limited to abrasions. He still has a few big goals ahead of him, so we will have to wait and see how he recovers from this crash," said Grischa Niermann, Kooij's sports director.