– Don’t think that the biggest guns think of me – VG

– I felt on Wednesday that I had quite normal legs. It was very positive and gave new faith, Kristoff tells VG about sixth place at the gate of Dwars Vlaanderen (Flanders on the other side).

The 33-year-old admits he was “very worried” after last Friday’s E3 Saxo Bank Classic, where he had to leave the field with more than sixty miles to play.

Now the gaze returns to focus on the podium of Flanders around, which the Norwegian has recovered in the last two years with two third places.

Coach and stepfather Stein Ørn hoped Kristoff could go unnoticed after weak results.

– But it does not work. It depends entirely on you getting a group that is willing to do the job. Mathieu van der Poel and Wout van Aert are always ready to drive. That they drive is a stage. I think Van Aert thinks he can win a sprint against Alexander. He probably can too, but Alexander isn’t afraid of him, Ørn says.

Kristoff doesn’t think so either, as he has repeatedly impressed with good results at the end of races of more than 250 kilometers.

– If there is someone who is not afraid of me, it is Van Aert and Van der Poel, he says.

– I don’t think the bigger guns consider me a very dangerous rider. I don’t think Van der Poel or Van Aert are awake at night and think I should take them. I doubt they are significantly concerned, says Kristoff.

Last year it was Van der Poel who asked Van Aert for the win, while Kristoff asked for a third place from a larger group just behind.

– Probably I must have a bit of luck and preferably a little forward so that the strongest approach me. But it is difficult to get ahead. I did it once and then I won, says Kristoff in reference to the victory in 2015.

– In Flanders, it’s as much about fitness as it is about the way the race is conducted. He knows how to do that and he’s about to get into the groove. Now he’s waking up to life again, Ørn says of the stepson.

Kristoff has never been worse than No. 16 in Flanders in his career and has been in the top five in seven of nine attempts.

In addition to Kristoff and Matteo Trentin, Sven Erik Bystrøm has also proven to be a good card for UAE Team Emirates this classic season.

– It helps that you have a strong team behind you and that you see that they make it possible. Then you feel the pressure to be there too. There will be a very good flow in the team which will be important, says Bystrøm.

Haugesunderen was 20th in last year’s race and believes the top ten are possible this year.

– I hope I can single out a group of 25-30 men and hopefully I will sit there with a couple of colleagues, probably “Alex” and Trentin. So I can drive a bit actively and the dream scenario is that I will go a little ahead and bet I have two strong sprinters behind, he says.

– There are at least 15-20 runners who can win the race. We’ll see what happens, but from a Norwegian perspective nothing is impossible, says Ørn.

A total of twelve Norwegians participate in Sunday’s round in Flanders. In the men’s category, Kristoff, Bystrøm, Vegard Stake Laengen, Amund Grøndahl Jansen and Edvald Boasson-Hagen, while Emilie Moberg, Susanne Andersen, Vita Heine, Anne Dorthe Ysland, Ingvild Gåskjenn, Mari Hole Mohr and Amalie Lutro lead in the category female. .

Originally, Stine Borgli was supposed to lead the race as well, but must stop to complete the quarantine in Norway in time.