VeloHuman caught up with a few of the potential protagonists of Gent-Wevelgem just before the start of the race to get some inside-the-peloton insight on the race and the day’s nasty conditions.
André Greipel (Lotto Soudal)
How do you prepare in the run-up to a race like this, when you’re looking to take that big Classics win?
The race is a bit different. . . . Unfortunately I got sick after Algarve so I had to have a break for a while. Now we have to make the best out of it. And of course, the conditions today, it’s the same for everyone. But it would be nice to win a race like Gent-Wevelgem.
How do the wind and the rain affect your hope that this race ends in a sprint?
It’s about the teams, and how strong the teams are. Of course there will be a lot of echelons today, and we’re going to see, and we hope we will be up there.
Who else will you have your eye on as rivals?
We have to work as a team. Until the end of the race, it’s really dangerous to get a disadvantage if others are doing an echelon, so we have to be concentrated on our team.
Sam Bennett (Bora-Argon 18)
How are you feeling in this weather?
Phew, I dunno. We’ll find out in a few more minutes. I don’t know. From the start it will be very difficult. It will be a long day. And with the weather, it makes it a lot colder, so we’ll just see how the body reacts.
What is the team plan for the day?
Just stay in good position all day, because you don’t know what’s going to happen in these races, you don’t know when they’re going to sprint, and try to be there for the end for the sprint. I think it’s going to be a select group, so hopefully we’ll be there.
You had a big win last month in Qatar. Still feeling on the same level?
I feel stronger, but I need a bit of luck to be in the right place at the right time I suppose.
Heinrich Haussler (IAM Cycling)
Thoughts on the weather?
It’s fucking shit. It’s fucking terrible, and it’s just going to get worse as we get near the coast.
How are the legs?
The legs are okay, it’s just always a matter of having good position in these types of races, having a bit of luck, no flat tires, no crashes. Hopefully that will be the case today.
-Dane Cash
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