Michael Matthews will continue his preparation for the Tour of Flanders this weekend at Wednesday’s Dwars door Vlaanderen.
After kickstarting his Belgian campaign last week with the E3 Saxo Classic and Gent-Wevelgem, Matthews decided to have another hit out in the Belgian countryside before the season’s second monument.
Joining Matthews on the roster will be Max Walscheid, who has ridden an impressive classics campaign so far and was on the attack at the weekend in Gent-Wevelgem. Meanwhile, Amund Grøndahl Jansen returns to the line-up in Belgium after sitting out Sunday’s race.
The rest of the Team Jayco AlUla roster for Dwars door Vlaanderen will be made up of some strong and experienced classics men in Luke Durbridge, Luka Mezgec, Elmar Reinders, and Kell O’Brien.
Departing from Roeselare and finishing in Waregem, the riders will pass over eight cobbled sectors in addition to the 12 climbs – the last of which comes less than 10km from the finish line. The race is often won in a late break, particularly since more ascents were added in recent seasons, but it can also come down to a small group sprint to the line.
Team Jayco AlUla line-up:
Luke Durbridge
Amund Grøndahl Jansen
Michael Matthews
Luka Mezgec
Kell O’Brien
Elmar Reinders
Max Walscheid
Max Walscheid
“Dwars door Vlaanderen has become harder in recent years since they changed the course so it will definitely be an intense race. It’s not as long as the Tour of Flanders or Gent-Wevelgem, for example, but that doesn’t necessarily make it easier. With the course, it is now more complex and more intense.
“We have some good guys in the line-up, and we need to nail the run into the key section of the race. After that, we will see who is in the front and who has survived. Hopefully, we’ll have several riders able to go deep into the final and able to go for a result. Personally, I have felt good in these last races, and I hope to be able to go as deep as possible into the race.”
Mathew Hayman (Sport Director)
“Dwars door Vlaanderen is a bit shorter than most of the classics. It’s always hotly contested and it’s quite an open race. We’re really fortunate to have Michael Matthews staying on in preparation for Flanders and he’ll be joining us on Wednesday to race. We have a strong team with a lot of experience here so we’re looking forward to getting stuck in at the last preparation before the Tour of Flanders.”
Photo: KRAMON
