Our weatherman predicts hardly any fan danger at Scheldeprijs | Shieldbriggs 2023

With winds of up to 60km/h last year you were presented with a wild version of the Scheldeprijs, this year riders will be able to enjoy their ride through Zeeland a little more.

“There will be a northeast wind, but very little,” predicts our weatherman Bram Verbruggen. “It even changes during the afternoon.”

“So the wind will play no role in the Scheldeprijs,” he says.

“The other weather elements are not. It stays dry and the sun is there. The mercury points about 10 degrees.”

Bora Hansgrohe is counting on Jordi Meus tomorrow. The 24-year-old racer emerged from the Tour of Flanders unscathed on Sunday, although his team had a particularly eventful version of the “Vlaanderens Mooiste”.

Danny van Poppel, who finished second in the Scheldebriggs last year, had to lick his wounds, just like Shane Archbold and Marco Haller. Nevertheless, the trio is on the list of participants in the Sheldeprijs.

“Jordi Meeus is our guy at Shieldsbury when it comes to the team sprint. He’s ready,” says sporting director Jean-Pierre Hendricks.

“Danny van Poppel fell at the Tour of Flanders. He was taken to hospital in Ezegem, but no fractures were found there. Of course he will start to hit and it remains to be seen how far he can complement his efforts.”

In Lotto-Dstny, they naturally count on Caleb Ewan at the Sprinters’ Festival in the Scheldeprijs. The Australian has already won once in 2020 and is hoping to take his chance in the 111th edition as well. With Jasper De Buyst, Liam Slock, and Jacopo Guarnieri, among others, he receives hard-working support workers.

“It looks like the wind will play less of a role, so that works in our favour,” says athletic director Alan Davis. “We’re aiming for a sprint with Caleb Ewan, who can show off his fast legs.”

“We want to keep the momentum of the Classics going and build on the success of the last few weeks. The Classics are going very well and we want to continue this positive trend.”