Friday, October 16^th 2020 - The 104^th edition of the Tour of Flanders - scheduled on Sunday, October 18^th – will be the last Monument race of the 2020 season, as Paris-Roubaix has been cancelled due to Covid-19 pandemic.

Safety measures have been adopted for the Belgian cobbled Classic too. This year’s shortened course won’t feature some iconic climbs as the Muur van Geraardsbergen and the Tenbosse, while the Oude Kwaremont, Paterberg and Koppenberg are confirmed. The start will still be in Antwerp but moved to the Steenplein and without spectators as the finish in Oudenaarde.

Team Bahrain McLaren Sports Director Tristan Hoffman: “The soul of the race is the same, with the battle on the cobbled sectors and the punchy ascents. I’m excited for Sunday and the riders for sure too. It’s one of the biggest races in the world and we’re looking forward. We have a mix of experience and youth in our lineup. We have two leaders, Dylan Teuns and Sonny Colbrelli, who will have all the support from their teammates to try to be there in the finale and get a good result. All our riders are in good condition and are feeling good. Unfortunately, we lost Ivan Cortina, who crashed in Scheldeprijs”.

The Spanish rider was involved in a crash in the sprint and suffered a fracture of the left scaphoid bone. Assisted by Team Doctor Marjan Korsic with the support of local experts at Kortrijk hospital, he underwent x-ray that showed also a shoulder contusion. Cortina will undergo further examinations in the next days to evaluate if an orthopaedic surgeon is necessary, but his racing season is finished.

Chun Kai Feng will replace him on Sunday. Today team Bahrain McLaren riders did a recon of the last 80km of Tour of Flanders course. “It went very smooth. The climbs are looking good.” Sonny Colbrelli explains “This race suits me and I’ve never kept it a secret that my dream is to win the Tour of Flanders sooner or later. In recent races, I had some crashes, but I’m feeling good and I’m motivated. It will be important to stay in good positions”.

Team Bahrain McLaren lineup for the Tour of Flanders: Mark Cavendish, Sonny Colbrelli, Chun Kai Feng, Marco Haller, Luka Pibernik, Dylan Teuns, Fred Wright.