Former winners Yves Lampaert and Dylan van Baarle will be on our squad for Wednesday’s Classic.
We kick off the month of April on the cobbles of Dwars door Vlaanderen, the last race before De Ronde, which takes place in the weekend. It’s the 80th edition of this race, first held in 1945, which will once again journey from Roeselare to Waregem. The 184.6km course comprises seven cobbled segments and a dozen climbs - including Berg Ten Houte, Knokteberg, Hotond, Eikenberg, and Nokereberg - the last of these coming just ten kilometers from the line.
There will be plenty of opportunities for the attackers to make the difference on Wednesday, including the cobbles of Herlegemstraat with just seven kilometers to go, but as history has shown, a regrouping is possible in the final part of the race, giving the fast men a rare chance of taking the victory in a Spring Classic.
Soudal Quick-Step will go to the start of Dwars door Vlaanderen with Yves Lampaert - a two-time winner of the race and the last rider to take back-to-back victories here - Paul Magnier, Casper Pedersen, Pepijn Reinderink, Martin Svrcek, Dylan van Baarle, who triumphed here in 2021, and Dries Van Gestel.
It’s a race that can go in different directions.
We can have a small attacking group at the finish, but a reduced bunch sprint is also possible in Waregem. Our team features riders who can be involved in both scenarios, so we are prepared to take on this challenge with a lot of confidence in our chances of getting a good result”, said sports director Sep Vanmarcke, who as a rider finished on the podium here in 2018.
Photo credit: ©Luc Claessen / Getty Images
