What are people’s predictions for Wout at Flanders and Roubaix. If he could make the front group in the last 40k id call it a sucesss. I’m pretty stoked to see how he does with his power and if he can position himself well enough to even be in the mix.

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It's the most wonderful time of the year. Time to fire up the old Tunnel Bear.

Looking at Om Loop, it's a QS fest.

Others: Bo Hog with Eisel is nice, EFDCannondale would be loaded with van Baarle but still not shabby with Sep and Langeveld. I'm a Tim Wellens fan mostly because he rides kind of nutty but if he decides to ride to win, he could do damage. van Baarle will be interesting to watch with Sky guys riding for him, one would expect anyway.

Bet he’d have a better shot at Strade Bianche this year.

Seems like a big ask for him to get positioning right and have enough endurance on first go-round. Pretty cool he’s doing it, bike handling skills certainly won’t be an issue.

I agree strade Blanche should good for him. Positioning is way easier in that race. Many of the traditional roadie dudes don’t ride that course very well. Wout should be able to move around quite easily. A remember watching this race a couple of years ago watching some terrible handling skills. One Italian or Spanish guy in the break got bogged down on a sandy climb and had to get off the bike - clearly a lack of familiarity for conditions like that.

The finishing climb may be a little too steep for Wout though - that ramp in the middle is perfect Kwiatkowski, Moscon, GVA, Sagan and maybe Wellens.

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you probably are referring to this. crashing on an uphill due to treacherous gravel road

https://www.youtube.com/...28&v=KfVi8h2SO-Y

Ha, ya that's the incident I was thinking of. That sandy climb is certainly no koksijde conditions!

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