Edvald Boasson Hagen and Michael Valgren co-lead Dimension Data at Tour of Flanders
Apr 06 2019 06:42 pm CET
Team Dimension Data
Edvald Boasson Hagen and Michael Valgren are set to co-lead Dimension Data at the Tour of Flanders. The two Classics riders are ready to face the iconic race.
The Ronde van Vlaanderen is the second Monument of the season and will take the peloton over a 270.1-kilometre route between Antwerp and Oudenaarde that features 17 climbs and five cobblestone sectors. Bernie Eisel has started in the race 15 times and will be one of the key supporters for the two leaders.
"At the Classics, when you’re at the top you’re at the top and when you’re not there, well then you’re nowhere," Eisel commented. "This is where we’ve been struggling at the moment but there are great signs of better form and that’s really good already. Our focus is definitely on Eddy with probably Michael and Reinie to have a bit of an outsider role. Eddy will be the captain but we can’t expect miracles of them because you can’t hide here and the best riders will be up there, especially as it’s Flanders.
"It’s pretty much just a training ride until you hit the first cobbles or crunch-point of the race, you already have 150km in your legs and normally at other races, you’re going into the final at that point but here you still have 110km to go and all the major climbs are waiting for you. It’s going to be about positioning, finding the right moment for us to be in the right group and not waiting. That’s the point for the helpers on the day, to get the guys to around the 180km mark without them spending energy up to that point, and get them safely through.
"From there it’s pretty much the tactics and the legs that will do the talking for the outcome. It’s time to show something too – we can’t talk about races still to come – the Vlaanderen classics are all but over with just two races after this and we better do something!"
Dimension Data's roster for the Tour of Flanders (7th of April):
Michael Valgren
Edvald Boasson Hagen
Bernie Eisel
Reinardt Janse van Rensburg
Julien Vermote
Lars Bak
Jay Thomson
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