Attack or restraint: Van der Poel holds back as Van Aert eyes aggressive Gent-Wevelgem return

Van der Poel barely had time to recover from his winning effort in the E3 Saxo Classic and admitted his approach will reflect that.

“That [an attacking approach] is out of my system after Friday,” he said to Sporza. “I think I’ll race a bit more defensively today.”

The Dutchman will not carry the full burden alone. Within Alpecin–Premier Tech, leadership is shared with Jasper Philipsen, giving the team options depending on how the race unfolds.

“We share the leadership. We both have a chance to win this race,” Van der Poel said. “During or after the hill zone it will become clear which card we play.”

His own condition remains the key unknown. “It mainly depends on how I feel during the race,” he said. “Jasper will normally always survive the selection in a small group and there are other teams with a sprinter. It could be that we end up sprinting.”

Van der Poel has never won Gent-Wevelgem, something he would like to change.

“I would really like to tick this one off,” he said. “But that doesn’t happen in every race.”

If Van der Poel is weighing his effort, Van Aert starts from a different position. The Belgian skipped the E3 Saxo Classic and arrives with fresher legs.

“No, I didn’t regret it,” he said to Sporza of that decision. “Except maybe for my teammate Per, who just missed out on the win. I followed it like the whole of Flanders on television.”

Gent-Wevelgem, he warned, rarely follows a fixed script. “This is a race that can go in two directions,” Van Aert said.

Within Team Visma | Lease a Bike, tactics can also revolve around multiple leaders, including Matthew Brennan. “It would make sense for him to go for the sprint and for me to race offensively,” Van Aert said. “But a lot can happen between the start and the finish.”

One thing, however, is clear from his side. “I want to fight,” he said.