ProTeam Brent Van Moer is looking forward to Tour of Flanders: "We really want to show something."
With the absence of Arnaud De Lie, Florian Vermeersch, and also Jasper De Buyst, Lotto Dstny doesn't have a clear-cut leader for Sunday, Tour of Flanders. However, that doesn't mean the team is without a plan. "Everyone will be looking at that one top favourite, but behind him, there are at least 20 others who could make it a very open race," Brent Van Moer looks ahead. "That's what I'm looking forward to. If I could play a role like Florian did last year - anticipating early and forming a strong group towards the second passage over the Kwaremont - I would be very pleased. I showed in the E3 Saxo Classic that I'm in good shape. If I can have the same legs on Sunday, then it can be an interesting day."
He was in the big crash during Dwars door Vlaanderen last Wednesday, but meanwhile, the Flemish Ardennes have been explored without any pain, and Brent Van Moer is feeling better every day. "I feel some stiffness, everything is still feeling a bit tight, but I'm not in pain anymore," he says. "I barely have any abrasions, even. I've been 'lucky' - I fell over everyone else. I realized that when I saw the others lying next to me. That wasn't good. I'm glad I got back on the bike after that crash. I didn't finish- we just fell too far behind - but after such a race, I return home with a better feeling, knowing that I could still ride for a while. For the muscles and for the mind."
Van Moer is particularly eager for Flanders' Finest. "We're starting here in a completely different way than was originally planned on paper, and you might think that would make us ride more relaxed. But at the same time, we haven't been able to achieve a good result in the classics yet. So, we're even more determined to have a good race, and I really want to show something again. So, bring it on."
Picture: Brecht Steenhouwer