Health problems at Mitsubishi

By Susan Westemeyer

The course for this weekend's Omloop Het Volk was full on Wednesday, as the teams took to the road to check it out. But at least one rider was missing: Frank Vandenbroucke of Team Mitsubishi-Jartazi, who is ill and questionable for Saturday's race.

"Frank called me last night and said that he was sick," team manager Jef Braeckevelt told Sporza. "He assured me that he will do everything he can to be at the start on Saturday." Vandenbroucke is not the only one with problems on the team. Igor Abakoumov "isn't quite fit, and will only ride Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne. Janek Tombak and Hans Dekkers are both sick and won't ride this opening weekend."

Braeckevelt found that the race had changed this year. "A lot of riders will be unhappily surprised to find that the parcours is much more difficult than last year."