Niki Terpstra (Etixx-QuickStep)
Niki Terpstra (Etixx-QuickStep)
Niki Terpstra arrives at the Omloop on the back of overall victory at the Tour of Qatar, just as he did 12 months ago, when he then went on to finish fifth in Belgium.
The race will see Terpstra continue preparations for the defence of his Paris-Roubaix title, and the Dutchman will start the race as one of several Etixx-QuickStep riders capable of winning.
All the team’s big hitters are set for the start line, including Tom Boonen, Zdenek Stybar, Guillaume van Keirsbulck and Stijn Vandenbergh, with the fury of their DS no doubt still ringing in their ears after they under-performed here time last year.
On that occasion Terpstra was only narrowly beaten to the final spot on the podium and QuickStep bounced back to totally dominate Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne and deliver Boonen to victory the following day.
The Belgian super team will surely be hoping, this time out, to start their Classics season with a bang one day earlier and in-form Terpstra looks to be the best man – from an elite clan – for the job.