Luke Rowe and Ian Stannard named in Team Sky's Dwars door Vlaanderen squad

Luke Rowe and Ian Stannard have both been named as part of Team Sky's lineup for semi-Classic Dwars door Vlaanderen in Belgium on Wednesday (March 28).

It will be the first time that the two British riders have ridden together on the roads of Belgium this season, with Rowe continuing his return to form from injury and Stannard in his second race back after missing E3 Harelbeke on Friday due to illness.

Rowe is still defying predictions could be off the bike for a year after severely breaking his leg while white water rafting on his brother's stag event in August.

Even when he returned to training ahead of schedule, was not initially expected that he would take part in any races on the cobbled roads of northern Europe.

>>> Cobbled Classics: Latest news, reports and race info

However, Rowe finished 30th in Nokere Koerse on March 14, rode Milan-San Remo on March 17, then helped Team Sky to a team time trial stage win and overall victory with Diego Rosa in Settimana Coppi e Bartali in Italy last week as part of a remarkable comeback.

Stannard was forced to sit out E3 Harelbeke on Friday after suffering from an illness, but he did race in Ghent-Wevelgem on Sunday, finishing 90th.

Stannard and Rowe will be joined at Dwars door Vlaanderen by Chris Lawless – who sprinted to a stage win in Settimana Coppi e Bartali on Saturday – Jon Dibben, Gianni Moscon, Kristoffer Halvorsen and Lukasz Wisniowski.

Both Rowe and Stannard are also on the provisional list of starters for Sunday's Tour of Flanders. Rowe placed fifth in Flanders in 2016.

Moscon was Sky's highest-placed rider in Friday's E3 Harelbeke, finishing eighth.

However, Sky missed out on having any riders in the top 10 of Sunday's Ghent-Wevelgem, after Moscon ended up in a roadside barrier at the foot of the Kemmelberg and was forced to expend valuable energy in trying to chase back.

The British WorldTour team also suffered bad luck in Volta a Catalunya in Spain at the weekend, when Egan Bernal had to abandon the race after a heavy crash while in second place overall.