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James Moultrie

‘We need to get in front of Van der Poel’ - Riders prepare to attack early at Tour of Flanders

OUDENAARDE BELGIUM MARCH 31 LR Mads Pedersen of Denmark and Team Lidl Trek and Mathieu van der Poel of The Netherlands and Team Alpecin Deceuninck compete during the 108th Ronde van Vlaanderen Tour des Flandres 2024 Mens Elite a 2708km one day race from Antwerpen to Oudenaarde UCIWT on March 31 2024 in Oudenaarde Belgium Photo by Dario BelingheriGetty Images.

Anticipate was the most common word that echoed through the Tour of Flanders mixed zone at the start in Antwerp as riders were pressed to answer how they would beat heavy favourite Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck) at the second Monument of the season.

With the Dutchman’s key rival Wout van Aert (Visma-Lease a Bike) out of the race following a huge crash at Dwars door Vlaanderen and the best team of the Flemish Classics so far - Lidl-Trek - also hampered by the same incident, the two-time winner enters the 108th edition as the man to beat.

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