The Team LottoNL-Jumbo-riders will face an infernal edition of Gent-Wevelgem on Sunday with storms and 10°C predicted. In that fight, Sep Vanmarcke will rely on a strong team.

“It’s going to be a serious war this Sunday,” Tom Van Asbroeck said. “There’s no reason to complain the way I handled the bad weather last week. I’m not always able to endure those circumstances, but at this point, I can. That reinforces my hope to keep improving my form after my crash in West-Vlaanderen. I kept getting stronger in the last races, and I hope that I’m able to take the next step in Gent-Wevelgem.”

Gent-Wevelgem should be interesting for Team LottoNL-Jumbo after the rollercoaster ride in the last two Flemish races. “Nico Verhoeven and I are always able to put things in perspective,” Sports Director Jan Boven added. “But last Wednesday even left us speechless. The fact that we finished Dwars door Vlaanderen with only one rider was bad luck.

“E3 Harelbeke went very well on the other hand. We were in the front of the race a lot. It’s extra nice to see that Bram Tankink did such a great job and Sep Vanmarcke was terrific, too.”

E3 gives the team hope for Sunday in Gent-Wevelgem, a longer race at 230 kilometres. “It’s going to be a battle of survivors,” Boven said. “You have to be very strong to be in the final sprint in Gent-Wevelgem. It would be nice if we were in the final with Sep and two other riders. Tom Van Asbroeck, Maarten Wynants and Bram Tankink are the ones to watch for that.”

Team line-up:
Tom van Asbroeck, Rick Flens, Moreno Hofland, Tom Leezer, Bram Tankink, Maarten Tjallingii, Sep Vanmarcke and Maarten Wynants.