Alexander Kristoff says that having Tony Martin alongside him at this weekend's Tour of Flanders will give the Katusha-Alpecin team 'another dimension' in comparison to previous years. Kristoff has shouldered the burden of the team's Classics ambitions in the past, but he and Martin will be given equal status on Sunday.
With both having two very different skillsets on the bike, Kristoff says that the team will have to play a canny tactical game to keep them both in contention as late as possible into the race. "For sure, we have two protected riders for the final, and we know more or less that it's him and me that will be the guys that will survive. And the other guys will have to sacrifice so that we are less tired in the final," Kristoff told a group of journalists at the team's hotel just outside of Antwerp.
"He's more of the offensive type that can go away on attacks. For me, it's better that the group stays together, but for [Martin] it is better that he goes alone. He brings a new dimension to the team that he can attack and we don't always have to try and bring it back together; we can also go away. We will see in the situation what will benefit us the most because sometimes for me it's better if the climbs are easier but maybe for Tony it is different. We must figure out a smart way to race, so we have the most chances to win at the end."
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Kristoff has said several times this week that he feels he's below the level that he would ordinarily like heading into the Tour of Flanders. He dismissed himself as one of the of the favourites for the weekend, but hoped that he could nudge himself a little further in the right direction with a strong performance at the Three Days of De Panne. He finished well on Thursday with second place in the morning stage and a strong time trial performance that put him third at just two seconds behind Luke Durbridge. There are still some concerns for the Norwegian, but he is feeling better about his prospects than before.
"On the first day I was dropped by Gilbert on the Muur and that is a bit worrying because we are going to be doing a lot of climbing in Flanders and the race is normally decided on the climbs. I know that I have a small weakness there," he said. "I hope that I will be won one or two per cent better than I was on the first stage of De Panne and maybe it's just enough to follow in the climbs. If I'm good enough to follow then I'm strong enough to get a big result.
"If I can follow any moves like I did with Terpstra and to be in front on the Kwaremont or Paterberg then that would be ideal, but usually at the end of a hard race I can handle these climbs. It's not vital for success, but it would be perfect if I could make it but, for sure, there would be many other guys who want to get into this group, so it's easier said than done."
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