Few editions of Paris-Roubaix in recent memory have had a pre-race favourite as overwhelming as reigning race and World Champion Mathieu van der Poel.
In the absence of eternal rival Wout van Aert (Visma-Lease A Bike), the Tour of Flanders winner will take to the start in Compiègne on Sunday morning as the man to watch as he seeks to add a sixth Monument to his career total.
He'll line up at the head of an Alpecin-Deceuninck squad alongside option 1b in last year's runner-up Jasper Philipsen, while other riders including Gianni Vermeersch and Søren Kragh Andersen round out what looks like the strongest squad at the race.
Speaking at the team's pre-race press conference at the Deceuninck headquarters in Roeselare on Friday, Van der Poel said that he's hoping that he and his team will once again find themselves in a similar situation to last year.
"If we can create a situation like we did last year, I think that benefits both of us," Van der Poel said. "We can win the race in different ways and that's for sure our strength as a duo.
"Jasper proved last year that he's one of the favourites as well. That was really impressive. You need luck as well. Last year we didn't have any punctures or bad luck and that's super important in Paris-Roubaix."
Last April, Van der Poel soloed into the famous Velodrome André-Pétrieux having left Van Aert behind at the end of the final five-star sector, the Carrefour de l'Arbre, with the Belgian later puncturing and falling back into the clutches of Philipsen, riding only his third Roubaix.
Philipsen was one of the strongest men from the chase group behind the leading duo among a group that includes several of this year's other contenders such as Stefan Küng (Groupama-FDJ) and Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek).
He'd outsprint Van Aert in the velodrome to round off the first Roubaix one-two for a team since Domo-Farm Frites' podium sweep at the 2001 edition.
Now the team heads into this year's race enjoying their status as the top team of the spring, with Philipsen having triumphed at Milan-San Remo while Van der Poel scored his third Flanders title last weekend. Not that they're resting on their laurels, of course.
"I think it's a good thing that we don't need to prove ourselves or that Roubaix is our last chance," Philipsen said of his team's successes, which lie in stark contrast to the fortunes of former Classics powerhouse Soudal-QuickStep. "Because in Roubaix you can also have bad luck and then the opportunity is gone.
"For sure, we have some extra confidence that we took some good results. But we're also hungry I think to go for the win on Sunday. I don't want to make my Classics campaign in Roubaix because that's quite a risk."
Strength in depth
Visma-Lease A Bike may have entered spring with the team to envy, though injuries and illness – Matteo Jorgenson is the latest sick note at the Dutch squad – have taken their toll in recent weeks.
At the final race of the cobbled Classics, however, all eyes are on Alpecin-Deceuninck, who in Van der Poel and Philipsen have the top two favourites for glory according to many bookmakers.
Beyond that, they can look to former podium finisher Silvan Dillier as well as the likes of Kragh Andersen and Vermeersch. If rival formations weren't already fretting about the two leaders, it's clear that Alpecin-Deceuninck have more cards to play on the long trek north to Roubaix.
"Gianni was super strong last year but he was maybe a bit too enthusiastic after he was in the first group," Van der Poel joked about Vermeersch. "Like I said, Roubaix is one of the strangest races. It can happen at any moment, even between the cobbles.
"For Gianni, it could be ideal to be in a group and not pull with us behind, so we have many cards to play, yes."
Philipsen, meanwhile, singled out Kragh Andersen for praise, while also noting that the top of the results sheet in Roubaix can often throw up unexpected names.
"Søren is also a strong rider," he said. "In Roubaix, you always see names in the top results that you maybe didn't expect because they rode a strong race without bad luck and got really deep into the final. So I hope it can be one of us."
It's the World Champion who leads the way, however, and if rival teams are planning their own methods to prevent Van der Poel from taking home another cobblestone trophy, many fans and journalists are simply debating what his winning margin will be on Sunday.
Of course, there's always a chance misfortune can strike on the harsh cobbles of the Nord, and despite his success at the race Van der Poel opted to be cautious about his chances for Sunday.
"For me, it's been a special year so far in the rainbow jersey," Van der Poel said. "I think that so far I can be really happy with the performances. Winning Flanders was my main goal this year and everything that comes now is a bonus.
"It would be cool to win Roubaix again but like Jasper said, the race is like a Russian roulette, and you need to be lucky as well."
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