‘We need to get in front of Van der Poel’ – Riders prepare to attack early at Tour of Flanders

Anticipate was the most common word that echoed through the Tour of Flanders mixed zone at the start in Antwerp as riders were pressed to answer how they would beat heavy favourite Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck) at the second Monument of the season.

With the Dutchman’s key rival Wout van Aert (Visma-Lease a Bike) out of the race following a huge crash at Dwars door Vlaanderen and the best team of the Flemish Classics so far – Lidl-Trek – also hampered by the same incident, the two-time winner enters the 108th edition as the man to beat.