After Mathieu van der Poel's stunning victory in Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, Alpecin-Premier Tech came into Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne with high hopes of dominating the entire weekend with defending champion Jasper Philipsen. However, things went awry as Philipsen ran out of legs just when it mattered the most.
Van der Poel's last-minute decision not to take part in Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne meant that Philipsen was the rider who needed to step up to the plate. The Belgian sprinter's very active role throughout the hilly middle section, trying to create a breakaway group on repeated occasions, seemingly boded well for the finale.
