If one player in the peloton has no secrets from Omloop Het Newsblad, it is Greg Van Avermaat (AG2R Citroen).

The 36-year-old Belgian's 14 starts are one less than Gilbert's current record in the peloton. And van Avermaet has the same number of wins as Gilbert, in his case two in 2016 and 2017.

With all due respect to Gilbert, there is no doubt which of the two is the most consistent and successful Omloop racer today. In the opening weekend of the season, Van Avermaert has four podiums and eight top-five finishes, both twice as many as Gilbert.

In other words, both experience and success are heavily in Van Avermaet's favor when it comes to Het Nieuwsblad, but when it comes to the form of a rider aiming for the classics, he knows perfectly well what an Omloop means.

"It's not that we have to win," Van Avermaet told Cycling News at the recent Ruta del Sol. But you have to have a good level and have the feeling that you can fight with the best.

But if a good result in Omloop boosts the morale of the riders and their focus on the rest of the classics, a win will only enhance it.

"I've won twice and I'm certainly happier with a win. Winning at Omloop just clears my head even more," van Avermaat explained.

So what are the chances of Van Avermaat becoming only the fourth player in history to win three Omloop races in 1977?

He is cautious about that possibility, but by no means is ruling himself out as an option to win Saturday for the first time since the 2019 Montreal GP.

"The conditions are not bad, but not super yet," Van Avermaert told Cycling News. The first big test will be Omloop, and we'll see what happens there and how far I'm still off top form."

"I don't feel I'm at the top level," he said.

Compared to other years, Van Avermaat says his form is a bit below peak.

"I'm still looking for a good feeling. It's not bad, but I expect a little more from myself. So I'm pushing myself a little bit more to get there and be ready."

"The week in Ruta del Sol really helped my climbing. The weather was good and we did a good job. So it's not bad."

On the other side of the Classics, of course, the order of Amstel Gold and Paris-Roubaix is reversed.

The swapping of dates has already sparked much debate among Classics specialists about the implications of keeping one-day form, which tends to be erratic in the run up to Paris-Roubaix, in check for another week.

For riders, there is no better way to find out than to ask Van Avermaet. He was for many years a rider who would race at least to Amstel Gold after Roubaix, and several times to Liège-Bastogne-Liège.

"For me, that has never been a problem," Van Avermaert said. 'After Roubaix, a lot of riders stopped, but I always raced Amstel.'

"If you look at the race calendar, they were initially trying to have Amstel and Roubaix on the same weekend. That was unfortunate. This is the best solution."

Van Avermaat admits that he at least runs Amstel between the two cobbled classics. 'I think the Amstel is a great race. In any case, at that point in the Classic, it's important to do a few reconditions before each race to make sure you recover well."

As for Omloop, "I wouldn't change a thing. The unpredictability before the race, deciphering the signs for the rest of the season that this race will surely produce, and of course all the drama and excitement that the race itself will engender that day.

As Patrick Lefebvre recently said of Omloop, "The time for refreshments is over.

Juan Avermart himself says: "It's going to be an interesting weekend, no doubt. It will be an interesting weekend.