Van der Sande already feels at home in the team. "We just spent three weeks with the Classics core on altitude training in Tenerife. I may be new to the team, but I have often raced against them already. It clicked immediately and the atmosphere was good from the start. Everyone was evenly matched and we were able to push each other well in the training rides."

The 31-year-old Belgian was pleased to step out of his comfort zone. "Before my move to Team Jumbo-Visma, I rode with the same team for ten years. So I was somewhat insecure because I knew my old team very well after such a long period, and you create certain habits within that team. In the end, everything went smoothly. My first impression of the team is that they are very professional. Everything is taken care of very well and this professionalism is another reason I chose this team. Also, a lot of importance is attached to performance, which I really wanted to discover. It is difficult to name the biggest change because many things have changed. The management, the material and certainly the training approach are very different."

It will be a happy reunion for Van der Sande with the Flemish opening weekend. "Other years, I rode some preparation races and didn't start in the opening weekend. Now these are my first races of the season. I'm really looking forward to it, especially with a new team and a leader like Wout. We must not forget that these races are pretty soon after our altitude training. We'll have to wait and see, but I feel good conditionally. The most important thing is to have a good feeling right away. That will be true for the whole team after having trained at altitude for so long."

The Belgian already knows what his task will be this spring. "I want to support the team as well I can and do what the team expects of me. I have to drop off the leaders at important points in the front. This means I will have to be attentive early in the final and make sure no unexpected things happen. This will be important this weekend because the Omloop and Kuurne are always nervous races. Keeping calm and getting through them safely is also my strongest point."

Besides Van der Sande, Tiesj Benoot will also make his Team Jumbo-Visma debut in Saturday's Omloop Het Nieuwsblad. Wout van Aert will start his road season there and will be joined by Nathan Van Hooydonck, Mike Teunissen, Pascal Eenkhoorn and Edoardo Affini.

At Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne, Christophe Laporte will ride his first race for Team Jumbo-Visma. David Dekker, Tiesj Benoot, Nathan Van Hooydonck, Tosh Van der Sande, Mike Teunissen and Edoardo Affini complete the selection.