Three stages, Niki Terpstra in the gold jersey, Tom Boonen third overall and in the silver jersey, Guillaume van Keirsbulck in the pearl white jersey and Stijn Vandenbergh and British rider Andrew Fenn also in the top ten overall. It has been a pretty successful week for all concerned at Omega Pharma-Quickstep. In fact, every rider for the Belgian team finished in the top 30 overall. Their devastating form, after a comparatively quiet few weeks in Argentina, Australia and Dubai, is an ominous sign for their rivals – not least Fabian Cancellara (Trek Factory Racing).

Tom Boonen is in imperious form as he prepares to do battle with Fabian Cancellara for the cobbled classics, while Stijn Vandenbergh will be desperate to build on the solid foundations laid at last year’s Paris-Roubaix, when only a collision with a spectator caused him to lose touch with the Swiss ace. Team-mate Zdenek Stybar, himself in good form after his World Cyclo-cross Championship win, suffered similarly and will want to show what could have been, while Niki Terpstra is more than capable on the cobbles too. Maintain this week’s form when the temperatures drop and the roads become rougher and Omega Pharma-Quickstep will take some beating.