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On Thursday it was up to Wout van Aert, one day later to Mathieu van der Poel. The Dutchman dabbled over the cobblestones of Paris-Roubaix and concluded the following: “I’m on track to be as good in Roubaix as I was in the Ronde”.
Vincent Van Genechten
“I did a lot of freshening up,” said the winner of Milan-Sanremo and the number two of the Tour of Flanders. “I know the roads here, but of all the classics, this is the region where you come the least. The legs felt pretty okay. I had recovered well from the Tour, I felt in the Scheldeprijs. That was another solid day and on Thursday I didn’t touch the bike, to do a slightly longer exploration today. I’m on track to be as good in Roubaix as I was in the Tour, only the Tour suits me a little better. But if I have the legs from Sunday, I should also be able to compete for a win here.”
Dry weather is predicted for Sunday. For Van der Poel it does not matter in itself. “I liked the wet edition, but Roubaix is never without risk and always hectic. But with the weather they predict, it will be mainly a dry edition. My biggest rivals? For Roubaix, that’s always something difficult to say. There are always many contenders and you also need a bit of luck in this race. But there are the names that everyone expects: Ganna, Van Aert, Küng, Pedersen was very good in the Ronde, Asgreen, Lampaert… Those are the names that immediately come to mind, but more can win this race.”
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According to Adrie van der Poel, Wout van Aert is the top favorite for Sunday. “I don’t think there is one top favorite,” it sounds. “I think we are with a number of contenders. One may have been better than the other, but this is a different course. One that should suit Wout a little better than the Tour of Flanders, but it is clear that he is not the absolute top favorite.”
Van der Poel also says that his back problems have largely been resolved. “That makes it all a bit more fun to sit on a bike. In consultation with the team, I also do fewer matches, so it is easier to go to the hole every time. People often forget that our season is very long. From the Cyclo-cross World Cup to Roubaix is one period. There are also many goals in that and a lot is expected, from the outside world but also from the team.”
After Paris-Roubaix, Van der Poel awaits a longer rest period. “To be top in the Tour again,” he says. “After an altitude training, I will go to France via the Tour de Suisse.”
