Sir Bradley Wiggins (Team Sky) will ride the Tour of Flanders and Scheldeprijs, the team has confirmed.
Wiggins has not ridden the Ronde since 2005, when he was with Credit Agricole, but having withdrawn from last week’s Volta a Catalunya to undertake a block of training, the 33-year-old will return to action for the second Monument of the season on Sunday.
Wiggins is then likely to ride Paris-Roubaix a week later having targeted the Hell of the North at the start of the season.
The 2012 Tour de France champion replaces the injured Ian Stannard in a Team Sky line-up which will ride in support of Geraint Thomas, who made a strong start to the cobbled Classics season with third place at E3 Harelbeke.
Edvald Boasson Hagen is another contender for overall victory while Bernie Eisel, Christian Knees and the soon-to-retire Gabriel Rasch are also part of the Flanders squad with Salvatore Puccio and Luke Rowe.
Thomas will then be replaced by Australian Chris Sutton as the team tackles the Scheldeprijs next Wednesday. The race, which has been won three times by Mark Cavendish, comes between the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix, for which Team Sky’s squad is yet to be confirmed.
Team Sky have also announced the squad for the Tour of the Basque Country – or Vuelta al Pais Vasco – where Pete Kennaugh will bid to continue the strong form which saw him win the Coppi e Bartali.
Last year’s runner-up Richie Porte, who has withdrawn from his last two WorldTour races through illness, is not selected, however.
Kennaugh will be backed by climbing aces Vasil Kiryienka and Mikel Nieve, while fellow Coppi e Bartali stage winner Ben Swift is also included.
Young Brit Josh Edmondson, Irishman Philip Deignan, Danny Pate and Xabier Zandio round off Team Sky’s squad.
