Last weekend, Benoot rode in the black and yellow Team Jumbo-Visma outfit for the first time and he immediately showed his qualities by going on a promising attack a few times. “I have a good feeling about my first races for the team. You can train well and feel good during a training camp, but it is important to see this confirmed in races. Although I joined the team rather late, my preparation went smoothly. The altitude training in Tenerife has certainly paid off. The atmosphere in the team was excellent and we are well attuned to each other. We brought those good mechanisms to the races, which was nice to see. It gives me confidence for what will follow.”

The Belgian aims at Strade Bianche, the race he won in 2018. “Strade is special for me. I got my first pro victory there and it’s also my best victory thus far. I’ve always ridden well there, too, and I almost always made it to the final. I really like to go racing in Italy and I just love Tuscany. It’s a beautiful region with lots of good food and drinks. I will go there again with a good feeling. Strade is the kind of race where bad luck can be a deciding factor though I will be very confident at the start because the team is outstanding. I’m going for as high a result as possible.”

Subsequently, Benoot will also ride the Tirreno. “In the past, I sometimes went there for a good classification, but that is not the intention now. With Jonas, we have a leader who has proven how good he is. I want to support him as well as possible. In addition, I can also use the Tirreno to further improve my shape for the rest of the classic spring.”

Strade Bianche is known for its iconic ‘white roads.’ The course is winding and undulating. After 184 kilometres, the finish is at the Piazzo del Campo in Siena. In addition to Benoot, Sepp Kuss, Robert Gesink, Koen Bouwman, Timo Roosen and Milan Vader will also ride the Italian classic. Tom Dumoulin is not fit and therefore won't start in Strade Bianche.

Tirreno-Adriatico consists of seven stages: an individual time trial, two flat stages, three hilly stages and one real mountain stage. Jonas Vingegaard will start as the leader and will be joined by Tiesj Benoot, Sepp Kuss, Jos van Emden, Tosh Van der Sande, Olav Kooij and Edoardo Affini.