Mathieu Van der Poel favorite of the Tour of Flanders, the French without any great illusions

With Tadej Pogacar absent (outgoing winner focused this year on conquering the Giro) and Wout Van Aert on a hospital bed, the way is clear for Mathieu van der Poel at the Tour of Flanders, where the Dutchman can become the Sunday March 31 seventh rider in history to win a third time. On the French side, the chances of winning one of the most important one-day races are slim.

Published on: 03/29/2024 – 3:27 p.m.

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The terrible fall which cost Van Aert multiple fractures on Wednesday March 27 deprived the second Monument of the year, after Milan San Remo, a highly anticipated duel between the Belgian and his lifelong rival. The “Ronde”, the culmination of the “holy fortnight”, remains a total spectacle for cycling enthusiasts and the hundreds of thousands of spectators who will congregate along the mountains of East Flanders, between Antwerp and Oudenaarde.

A boulevard for Van der Poel

The Tour of Flanders looks more like a boulevard than ever for Van der Poel, especially since another outsider, Jasper Stuyven, also broke his collarbone on Wednesday and Mads Pedersen, scratched and bruised, also left some feathers. Van der Poel was on his sofa, resting after winning the E3 Grand Prix solo and finishing second in Ghent-Wevelgem behind Pedersen.

If the absence and injuries of several competitors risk harming the suspense on Sunday, the public will be able to console themselves with the fact that Van der Poel is no longer racing today only against his contemporaries but also for posterity. Grandson of Raymond Poulidor can become one of the best classic racers of all time.

In a sport where the past is constantly invoked, Van der Poel, winner of the Tour of Flanders in 2020 and 2022, is starting to weigh in: if he wins, he will join Achiel Buysse, Fiorenzo Magni, Eric Leman , Johan Museeuw, Tom Boonen and Fabio Cancellara among the triple winners of the “Round”, with the prospect of aiming for an unprecedented quadruplet by 2025. He is also seeking a fifth victory in a Monument to come back to Pogacar, the only active rider to have won so many. Van der Poel, on the podium of the last four editions, is also preparing to rub salt in the wound of the Belgians, empty-handed on the “Ronde” since the victory of Philippe Gilbert in 2017. An eternity for the Flat Country.

Very discreet French people

On the French side, we can’t say that it’s a party. anyway, only three French representatives Only three French people have won the Tour of Flanders. Jacky Durand, winner in 1992, is still waiting for a possible successor.

One of the best French representatives doesn’t believe it. “ If I consider myself a favorite for the Tour of Flanders? No. You never know but I don’t think it can do it », Confided Julian Alaphilippe before Across Flanders, Wednesday, adding: “ My shape is not as I would like, but that’s okay. The fall at Strade Bianche really stopped me from really doing what I wanted, but I tried to adapt as best I could. I still have the Tour of Flanders before a little break to prepare for the Giro. » This despite an encouraging ninth place at Milan San-Remo a fortnight ago.

Christophe Laporte, the best card on paper, is out, insufficiently recovered from a stomach flu. Valentin Madouas, third in the “Ronde” in 2022, remains off to a very average start to the season and should initially serve as a teammate to Stefan Küng and Laurence Pithie within the Groupama-FDJ team. Arnaud Démare is on rest until further notice due to a “ severe fatigue ».

Florian Sénéchal, his teammate at Arkéa-B&B Hotels, is just recovering from a broken collarbone. If the legs are good, he “ still missing the rhythm and the condition », he said after Across Flanders with the hope of being ready for Paris-Roubaix on April 7. As for Anthony Turgis, who has dreamed of the Tour of Flanders since his fourth place in 2020, he will not be at the start since his team TotalEnergies, struggling in the second division, was not even invited.

This bleak picture reflects a start to the season where the French, especially the young people, won quite a few races but only one at World Tour level (1st division) with the stage victory of Axel Laurance at the Tour of Catalonia. A sign of this lackluster start to the year, the Frenchman best ranked this week in the UCI rankings, calculated over the last 52 weeks, is… a retiree, Thibaut Pinot (20e).