Van der Poel views Evenepoel debut as advantage ahead of historic Flanders bid

The Dutchman, already a three time winner of De Ronde, is on the brink of becoming the outright record holder. Yet in the build up to the race, much of the attention has shifted to Evenepoel, who will make his long awaited first appearance in the Flemish Monument.

Van der Poel, however, sees opportunity rather than threat.

“We definitely shouldn’t underestimate Remco,” he said. “It’s his first time here, but he’s a top class rider with a strong team around him.

I’m glad he’s at the start. The more strong riders there are, the faster the race opens up. That’s not a disadvantage for me.”

Van der Poel arrives in Antwerp in confident mood following a strong showing in the E3 Saxo Classic, where he had to dig deep to secure victory. Two days later, at Gent-Wevelgem, he felt the effects of that effort and the team shifted focus to Jasper Philipsen, who delivered the win.

The pattern mirrors his build up in 2024, a season in which he followed a similar trajectory before going on to win the Tour of Flanders.

“It was quite similar to last year,” Van der Poel explained. “I won in Harelbeke and then lacked a bit of freshness in Wevelgem. A week later, I won Flanders. I’m confident this is the right preparation for both the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix.”

After his race block, the Dutchman travelled to Spain to fine tune his form.

“I’ve been looking for the right balance between finding those last few percentages and keeping a fresh feeling.”

The presence of Evenepoel adds to what Van der Poel expects to be an even deeper field than in previous years. Alongside the Belgian, riders such as Tadej Pogačar, Wout van Aert and Mads Pedersen are all expected to play major roles.

“There might be even more favourites than last year,” he said. “Starting with Tadej Pogacar, of course. But over the past weeks I’ve also seen a strong Wout van Aert, who is getting back to his best level. Mads Pedersen has also been improving race after race.”

Is is the first time since the World Championships of 2023 in Glasgow that the five riders compete with each other in a one-day race.

Despite the increased competition, Van der Poel remains unfazed by his status as one of the main favourites. “That doesn’t make me nervous anymore. When you’re in good shape, you’re automatically seen as a favourite. I take it as a compliment and it doesn’t change the way I race.”

Victory on Sunday would see Van der Poel move clear of Achiel Buysse, Eric Leman, Johan Museeuw, Tom Boonen, Fiorenzo Magni and Fabian Cancellara to become the first rider to win the Tour of Flanders four times outright.

While aware of the historical significance, the 31-year-old Dutchman insists his mindset remains unchanged.“Of course I’m aware of it and it would be something very special,” he said. 

“But I approach the race the same way as always: I try to win. If that leads to a record, I will cherish it. There was a time when winning Flanders once felt like a distant dream.”

In his bid for a historic victory, Van der Poel will be supported by Silvan Dillier, Jonas Geens, Michael Gogl, Edward Planckaert, Oscar Riesebeek and Florian Sénéchal.