No Opening Weekend double for Mathieu van der Poel
Mathieu van der Poel will not return to the start line on Sunday, ending hopes of a second appearance at the Belgian Opening Weekend after his win at Omloop Nieuwsblad on Saturday.
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Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne organisers said on Saturday evening that the Dutch star of Alpecin-Premier Tech has been taken out of the team plan for the 78th running of the race. Van der Poel’s participation had been the subject of debate throughout the day, with the rider and his entourage leaving the door open before the Omloop, only for the final call to go the other way.
Instead, the 31-year-old is set to shift quickly from racing to preparation, heading to a training camp and skipping the second half of the weekend’s programme as he builds towards his next target, Tirreno-Adriatico, which starts on 9 March.
“It’s a pity we won’t have him on the start line for our race, but the field is strong enough to ensure we can still deliver an exciting contest,” Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne race director Peter Debaveye reacted to Het Laatste Nieuws.
Among the headline riders expected to line up for Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne are Jonathan Milan (Lidl-Trek), Paul Magnier (Soudal Quick-Step), Biniam Girmay (NSS Cycling Team), Arnaud De Lie (Lotto-Intermarché) and Matthew Brennan (Team Visma | Lease a Bike), although Brennan remains a doubt after crashing on Saturday.
Alpecin Premier-Tech still bring plenty of firepower even without Van der Poel.
Their main card looks to be Jasper Philipsen, who won in Kuurne last year after a perfectly timed lead out from Kaden Groves. Groves is again on the start list for Sunday and, with a sprint of his own, gives the team a second top level option if the race comes down to a finish on the line.
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