Team Sky are slowly coming into form on the one-day scene, with Ian Stannard having won the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad – the first Brit ever to do so. Ben Swift’s third place at Milan-San Remo followed, the British team’s first podium spot at La Primavera, and with Geraint Thomas having finished fourth in this race last year they could be out to spoil the party of the ‘big three’ this time out. Both Stannard and Thomas are in the squad, and Sky could opt for a two-pronged attack in Harelbeke.

Thomas’ fourth place last year failed to lead to a strong Classics season, but his form on the undulating courses of Paris-Nice – albeit sans cobbles – showed the Welshman is more than capable of producing results on the rolling parcours. Stannard meanwhile has earned a shot at the Classics thanks to his Omloop victory, proving he is more than capable of out-thinking the likes of Omega Pharma-Quickstep on that occasion. Bernie Eisel and Luke Rowe – a self-confessed cobbles lover – provide strong support for Team Sky too, and if one or all of them fire, a podium place is not too far out of the question.