SD Worx-Protime will toe the beginning line at this Sunday’s Tour of Flanders with defending champion Lotte Kopecky and runner-up final 12 months Demi Vollering, however Lidl-Trek’s line-up shouldn’t be underestimated.
The American outfit will area two potential winners Elisa Longo Borghini, who received the race in 2015, and an on-form Shirin van Anrooij.
“I really feel superb forward of Flanders tomorrow. To say I’m ‘tremendous assured’ could be a bit of an excessive amount of, however I’m simply actually completely happy that I can journey with such a powerful crew subsequent to me. We confirmed within the earlier races that we actually are a crew, and when using collectively, we will obtain nice issues, so I’m actually trying ahead to Flanders,” Longo Borghini stated.
“That is one thing that we, sadly, couldn’t do final 12 months, and I want individuals may actually perceive what we went by final 12 months as a result of many didn’t. That is our potential.”
Lidl-Trek has been lively in the entire Spring Classics, and Elisa Balsamo has received two of the one-days at Trofeo Alfredo Binda and Basic Brugge-De Panne. In the meantime. Longo Borghini and Van Anrooij have performed a 1-2 punch, racing into breakaways and the highest 10s.
The Italian Champion was third at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, second at Strade Bianche and sixth within the breakaway dash at Dwars door Vlaanderen. Equally, Van Anrooij was fourth at Omloop, fifth at Strade and second at Dwars door Vlaanderen.
“Lastly, we’re racing in a manner that exhibits our full potential, and this might have been us final 12 months, too, however due to many accidents and illness, we couldn’t do what we knew we have been able to,” Longo Borghini stated.
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“So, now, we’re actually simply exhibiting how sturdy we’re, how sturdy we at all times have been, and the way eager we’re to make the race laborious and to get one of the best out of each race.”
Van Anrooij stated that whereas the Lidl-Trek crew is happy with their Spring Classics marketing campaign, up to now, they wish to obtain extra. She believes that they’ll win Flanders in the event that they proceed to race with sturdy crew cohesion.
Lidl-Trek’s crew on the Tour of Flanders may even embrace 2016 winner Lizzie Deignan, Lauretta Hanson, Elisa Balsamo and Lucinda Model.
“Elisa [Longo Borghini] and me have been in quite a lot of finals collectively now and I believe we might be there in Flanders once more. With Lizzie, Lucinda, Lauretta and Barzi [Elisa Balsamo], we now have proved prior to now we will obtain outcomes collectively, and so, I hope we will play the sport the best way we wish to at Tour of Flanders,” Van Anrooij stated.
