“Flanders is really unique – almost everybody makes a holy day of it”

Gianni Vermeersch: Flanders is by far the biggest race in Belgium. You already have the big classics before it – E3, Gent-Wevelgem – and those are great races, but then you arrive on Sunday and you see that there's still a massive difference. The people are already lining the roads at the start, all along the parcours. In Flanders, almost everybody makes a holy day of the Ronde. They come outside, they party together. In that sense, it's truly unique. There's nothing quite like it.

Gianni Vermeersch: Positioning is crucial. It's such a hectic race. But on top of that, you're looking at almost 280 kilometres. You need to keep something in the tank for that final hour, because when you hit the Kwaremont and the Paterberg for the last time after 260 kilometres, you really need to dig deep. If you've got reserves left at that point, it makes all the difference.

Gianni Vermeersch: I'm very much looking forward to it. It's the first time for Remco, and the first time with Remco racing. That makes it a special moment in itself. The team in general is really strong, and I think we can have a lot of confidence going in. Remco is in really good shape. So I hope we can go for victory – with the team and with Remco.