Ian Stannard (Team Sky)
Ian Stannard (Team Sky)
What better place to start than with the defending champion? It remains to be seen whether former British champion Ian Stannard will lead the Team Sky line-up, with Sir Bradley Wiggins also selected, but our money’s on ‘Yogi’.
Both men have been on a recon of the route, along with fellow Brit Luke Rowe, and Sky will be hopeful that whoever leads on Saturday will start their Classics campaign with a win.
Stannard arrives in Belgium on the back of a strong ride at the Tour of Qatar, where he finished fourth overall in a race which forms a key part of the preparations of the Classics contenders, and the 27-year-old proved last year that he has to win these races. Wiggins, meanwhile, is more likely to use the Omloop to hone form ahead of the rest of the Classics campaign.
Stannard’s fourth place in Qatar came courtesy of several impressive rides, where he was never far from the front of the peloton, and Rowe also shone, narrowly missing out on the white jersey of best young rider in seventh overall.
If Stannard and Rowe have brought that form to Belgium with them, with Wiggins, Bernie Eisel and Andy Fenn in the supporting role, then expect to see them at the sharp end once again.