Tim Declercq makes a comeback on Wednesday

33-year-old Declercq had to give up in the Tour of the Algarve due to an inflammation of the pericardium. That condition kept him out of the pack for a while, until Wednesday. In addition to Tim Declercq, two-time winner Yves Lampaert (2017 and 2018), Stijn Steels, Bert Van Lerberghe, the Dutchman Fabio Jakobsen, the German Jannik Steimle and the Czech Zdenek Stybar will start in Roeselare.

“The race course has completely changed,” says sports director Stijn Steels. “It will only get more hectic with a lot of slopes and narrow roads. The possibility of a large group descending to the finish is high. But I’m pretty sure that several riders will also try to set up a flight .”

“Of course we are very pleased that Tim Declercq is making his appearance with us again. Tim worked hard on his comeback, trained hard and we can’t wait to see him in action again.”

“Yves Lampaert is also working on an upward form curve. He showed that last Sunday in Gent-Wevelgem. So we can start the race with peace of mind.”

Yves Lampaert can win Dwars door Vlaanderen for the third time and thus become the absolute record holder. The list with two victories behind the name also includes the Dutchman Niki Terpstra. He can also provide a triple.