Mathieu van der Pol, Wout van Aert, and Remco Evenpol are leading the generational change in the peloton, but Greg van Avermaat is not yet ready to step aside and the CCC team struggles to find a new patron for 2021 Even if he does, he is confident that his future as team leader still lies ahead.

"I think I am in good enough condition. At Strade Bianche, I always start with the intention of winning, even if there are dark clouds over the possibilities of the other players.

"I'm really excited. I think everyone has been waiting for this moment for a long time. I can finally race again. I've been training and preparing for it. The calendar is very busy and really challenging, so it's really important to stay in good shape at all times."

"My goal is to win the big classic race, the Monument, but I want to win every race because every race is really important.

Juan Avermaat will watch Even Paul win the Vuelta a Burgos and will battle Van der Pol, Van Aert, and others in the Strade Bianche.

He has a very different race program than Evenpoel, who targets the Giro d'Italia instead of the October classics, but the two are vying for the support and attention of Belgian cycling fans.

"I watched his performance yesterday very carefully. I have the impression that he has no limits," she said of Evenpole. 'The progress he has made in the last few months is enormous. I'm very interested to see how he does in Lombardia and the Giro d'Italia."

Like many of his rivals, Van Avermaert has been training at altitude recently and has been surprised by the Tuscan summer heat. Temperatures of 37°C are expected on Saturday afternoon, and the dry dirt roads are much more technically demanding than in early March.

"It's going to be a shock for everyone because it's going to be really hot. Livigno was cool because of the altitude, but I usually prefer to race in warm weather rather than cold."

"Strade is a bit different from March, we're going to be running on 28mm tires and lower pressures so we should be a bit faster. It hasn't rained here for three weeks, so the stones are a bit looser than usual. It felt that way during training. There is a lot of dust and it will be a bit risky to ride on the dust in the peloton, so it will be a bit dangerous. I hope to survive the first gravel sector and get an early selection.

"I think the favourites to win will be the guys who always do well here: Kwiatkowski, Fuglsang, Alaphilippe, Van der Poer and Van Aert. Kwiatkowski, Fuglsang, Alaphilippe, Van der Poer, and Van Aert. They are good at gravel, so they will be up there again."

The UCI transfer market opens on August 1, when players and teams can announce their contracts for 2021. Van Avermaat had been rumored to be moving to AG2R La Mondiale, but he remained loyal to CCC team owner Jim Ochowicz.

He chose the diplomatic route again on Friday, but is keeping all options open.

"I'm confident the team will find a new sponsor, but of course, if it doesn't work out, I'm looking at other teams.

"We are waiting to hear from Jim Ochowicz to see if we can find something, and if we can't, of course we will go elsewhere. But for now, I'm focused on racing again.

Juan Avermart wore a mask and was interviewed two meters away from the media. Other teams forbid direct interviews, but Van Avermaat accepts it as the new normal for the COVID-19 pandemic.

"It's strange to talk here wearing a mask, but this is the reality of the next few months. I hope this is a new start for us," he said. We are being adapted to every situation. We are not afraid to pick up the virus here. If everyone does what they have to do, I don't think we will have any problems. We are an outdoor sport, not a contact sport

"It's not easy because it's a lot of travel, a big peloton, a big bubble. I think the most important thing is the inspection. You see who is positive and who is negative and hopefully everything in the team can be managed easily. I think that by keeping the condition like this we will be able to resume the race.