Belgian super team Omega Pharma-Quickstep boast a Classics squad packed with talent. Led by Tom Boonen, a record-equalling four-time winner of Paris-Roubaix, the Belgian team could also turn to Zdenek Stybar, Niki Terpstra or Stijn Vandenbergh to lead their charge should anything go wrong on the cobbles – each more than capable of winning in Roubaix. Stybar, in Boonen’s absence, was desperately unlucky to miss out last year after colliding with a spectator.
Terpstra, meanwhile, won the sprint for third while Vandenbergh has found himself in the leading group at both E3 Harelbeke and the Ronde. Boonen remains the team’s leader however, and if he can recapture the form which saw him in hugely impressive shape at the Tour of Qatar, a record-breaking fifth win in this race does not look beyond him. Capable of winning solo, quick in the sprint, and boasting a team stung by not finishing on the podium at the Ronde, Boonen remains a Classics king and will be keen to reaffirm that on Sunday.
