Lotto-Belisol have experienced a Ronde van Vlaanderen to forget as both their leaders, Jurgen Roelandts and Tony Gallopin, suffered bad crashes in the first cobbled monument, with the former being forced to abandon the race and the latter finishing 23rd without chances to contend for a victory. With half of their classics riders forced to rest following accidents, the Belgian team will line up without the appointed leader for the Paris-Roubaix on Sunday.

“We will start with no leader on Sunday,” Lotto-Belisol sports director Herman Frison confirmed for nieuwsblad.be, “We’ll see how it pans out.”

The Lotto-Belisol roster for cobbled races has been literally shattered recently, with half of their classics riders being forced to withdraw from competition: Gert Dockx, Frederik Willems and Andre Greipel pulled out with broken collarbones, while Reolandt’s participation in Paris-Roubaix seems impossible due to multiple severe injuries sustained in the Ronde van Vlaanderen.

“He has severe injuries to the elbow, hands and arms. Every day he is taken care by a doctor, but with such arm injuries and more than fifty kilometers of cobbles on the route it seems almost impossible for him to ride Paris-Roubaix.”

“It’s 95 percent sure he will not ride on Sunday. Only a miraculous healing can turn a flashing red light turning to orange right now,” Arne Houtekier said metaphorically.

With Tony Gallopin and Pim Lightard enjoying a rest period ahead of the Amstel Gold Race, neo-pros Stig Broeckx and Sean De Bie will be provided with an opportunity to debut in the Paris-Roubaix on Sunday.

“Young man who thought they would follow the Paris-Roubaix on television this season should get ready. We will start on Sunday without an appointed leader and our eight riders will be allowed to play their own cards. We’ll see how it pans out. Hopefully we will get through Wednesday’s Scheldeprijs and Thursday’s reconnaissance eide unscathed.”