For Van Aert, these have been intense days. "Since yesterday morning, I have had a slight sore throat. I immediately did two self-tests and they were both positive. I then did a PCR test, which showed that I tested strongly positive. The good news is that I only have mild symptoms, just a sore throat and a cold. My focus is on recovering now. I want to be fully recovered before thinking about the future again."

For the Belgian champion, it remains a mystery where he contracted the infection. "Over the last two years and the last months and weeks, I've put a lot of effort into avoiding infection. But you are still exposed to many risks, and you don't always have things in your own hands."

For Van Aert, the infection comes at the worst possible moment, but he thanks everyone for their support. "It gave me a lot of pleasure reading everyone is so concerned with me. I want to thank everyone for their support over the last few days. I will now be my teammates' biggest fan on Sunday."

Sports director Arthur Van Dongen clarifies Wout van Aert's absence. "Examinations have confirmed that Wout is not fit. He is not very sick but not competitive enough to start in the Tour of Flanders. He now has to take a break and then we will set new goals. It's unfortunate for Wout but certainly for Belgium and the team. Knowing Wout, he will come back stronger than ever. We will sit down with the team, make a new plan and discuss how we can win the Ronde with the new team composition."

Tiesj Benoot already raced without the Belgian champion in Dwars Door Vlaanderen. "It's different racing without the top favourite, both for the other teams and us. Wout has a big impact on every race he participates in. We'll have to race without him now, but we'll still be a strong team."

The news of Van Aert's absence was disappointing, but the team will appear fully motivated at the start. "The atmosphere was excellent over the past few weeks. We already had a good meeting. Then this news came. But everyone is still very motivated. It is a race we have been looking forward to for a long time. This situation is out of our control, so we have to let go of that quickly now."

According to Christophe Laporte, the team can still have a great race. "For a rider like Tiesj or me, it's harder to win without Wout. He contributes a lot to the team anyway, but we can still ride a nice race. Tiesj already proved that in Dwars Door Vlaanderen."

Mike Teunissen's role will remain the same without Van Aert. "This is bad news and it takes some getting used to the idea that Wout won't be at the start. It's nicer with Wout, but we have to keep going. Fortunately, we have several strong guys. My role will remain the same. I will have to make sure they will be well-positioned and don't have to chase. Whether that's for two or three riders doesn't matter much to me."