For the AG2R Citroën Classic pairing of Greg Van Avermaet and Oliver Naessen, Wednesday's Dwars Door Flanderen was another memorable day of crashes and punctures. Van Avermaet finished 16th in the Flanders warm-up, 3:48 behind winner Mathieu Van Der Pol. He finished third and fourth in Omloop Het Nieuwsblad. For van Avermaert, it was a puncture that cost him a place in the Doire. Although he missed the winner's circle at Berg ten Hout with 70km to go, he was part of a chase group that included Tadej Pogachar and eventually finished ninth and tenth. The 36-year-old explained how he lost contact with a group that included Jan Tratnik, Valentin Maduas, Bryan Coquard, and Søren Kragu Andersen before Nokereberg with 22km to go.

"I had already hit something, and when we hit the cobblestones before Nokereberg (Dorn), the front tube bulged," van Avermaat explained to Het Newsblad (opens in new tab). It's a shame because I felt like I was getting better as the race went on. It's a shame because I felt like I was getting better as the race went on. Van Avermaert has performed well in Flanders in recent years, finishing in the top 10 every year but one, dating back to 2012. He said continuing that run will bring good results on Sunday.

"I don't want to talk about impossible ambitions," he said. I don't think we'll reach the championship. But I'm hoping for a good result, and in that respect, a top 10 finish would be more than I could hope for." Teammate and co-leader Naessen, who has finished seventh twice in Flanders in the last few years, is hoping for a top-10 finish. With less than 50km to go, he and several other riders were involved in a terrible crash that ended their race. After examination, he escaped with a broken bone but suffered multiple abrasions on his left shoulder and knee. This was a new blow for the 31-year-old, who was already hampered in the spring after being sick in Paris-Nice. I'm still stiff as a board," he told Het Newsblad after the race. 'I have to keep going to the physiotherapist until Flanders.'