One day after Milan-Sanremo, the climbers will be in action at the Tour of Catalonia. For Jurgen Van den Broeck (Lotto Soudal), the stage race is a second exam in a few weeks. "I want to see confirmation," team manager Marc Sergeant tells Sporza.

Jurgen Van den Broeck was aiming at the top 10 in Tirreno-Adriatico but could not fulfill his ambition. Van den Broeck had to settle for 11th place.

"Jurgen was very disappointed that he was not in the top 10," team manager Marc Sergeant tells Sporza. "I told him that it means nothing whether he finishes 10th or 11th. It was a matter of seconds. If he had lost an hour, it had been a different story. His performance was not bad."

"On Monday he can do his thing in the Tour of Catalonia," Sergeant continues. "This race is slightly harder than the Tirreno and it is more to his liking. There is also no time trial."

Sergeant sees a "relaxed" Van den Broeck. "We have not seen that for years. He must prove himself to get a new contract and puts himself under pressure. But it is not as visible as it used to be. The decison to skip the Tour has suited him well."

Van den Broeck won't do the Tour but he dreams of the Giro. Will he be in the Italian race? "At the moment, the assessment is favorable, but I want to see confirmation in Catalonia. That was the deal. Jurgen knows that too. According to himself, he didn't achieve a result in Tirreno. He is self-critical and that is positive. He knows that he must earn his place."

Sergeant makes it very clear: if Catalonia is disappointing, Van den Broeck should probably forget about the Giro. "Then the Vuelta is a  plan B. That was my idea. But if he shows that he can perform in the Giro, he will be at the start."