No Mads P.
He's decided that he'd rather not waste energy on a race he has no chance of winning, especially not with thespringfall classics coming up.
I'm honestly a bit of two minds about this; on one hand I understand that he'll have no way of repeating last year's win - course is simply too hilly for him - and he has the races he's aiming at coming up shortly, on the other hand... I just can't imagine the reigning World Champion not starting...
I suppose it would have been different if there had been a long flat run-in to the circuit, where he could help the team, or if it had been a normal year with the Cobbled Classics falling before the World Championship. Well... there isn't, and it isn't.
In a normal season, I'd call it a betrayal, because not only is the reigning champ not riding, it also means the national team gets to start 1 less rider.
However, in the Corona season we are in, I fully understand it makes no sense for him to ride, with such a compacted fall schedule.