Bauke Mollema (Trek Factory Racing)
Bauke Mollema (Trek Factory Racing)
Dutchman Bauke Mollema has appeared to have kept a low profile since his winter switch to Trek Factory Racing, particularly when compared to some of the other big-name pre-season transfers like Peter Sagan (Tinkoff-Saxo).
But he is a rider who traditionally does well at this time of year, with top-ten finishes in each of the last three editions of La Fleche Wallonne.
Mollema was second at Tirreno-Adriatico last month and also proved he has his climbing legs with second-place on the undulating stage of Tirreno-Adriatico.
Julian Arredondo is another strong climber in the Trek ranks for Wednesday and – after Fabian Cancellara’s injury saw them miss out at the cobbled Classics – they will be doubly keen for Mollema to at least podium on Wednesday.
Twelve months ago he was fourth, pipped to the podium by Kwiatkowski, but he is capable of bettering that on his day.