One day after he had proclaimed himself ready for the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad after a course recon, Jürgen Roelandts had to cancel his participation in the opening weekend due to illness. “Normally I have to be at must best from E3 Harelbeke to Paris-Roubaix. In the Flemish classics I must be there."

While the Belgians played a prominent role in the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and to a lesser extent in Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne, Roelandts has been at home for the last seven days. "For four days, I could literally not get out," he tells Het Laatste Nieuws. "Until next weekend, I will still be on antibiotics.”

The main question is how the flu has affected his form. "For five months, I have trained very well. My condition cannot just be gone.

"Fortunately I do not need a lot of races to feel good. In this respect, it is not a tragedy. But the timing could not have been much worse. Now I want to start my peak.

"I want to be good at Milan-Sanremo, but normally I will reach my best in the following weeks: From E3 Harelbeke to Paris-Roubaix I must be there in the Flemish classics.

Lotto Soudal tries not to put too much pressure on their rider. "Jürgen must now get some race rhythm. In Tirreno he should not force anything, he just needs to find his niche. Hopefully he can ride a good finale in Sanremo."