The first semi-Classic of the season, Omloop Het Nieuwsblad kicks-off on Saturday, and defending champion Ian Stannard was out on a route reconnaissance on Thursday with Team Sky teammate Luke Rowe.
Former British National Road Race champion Stannard was the first Brit to win the race, which is historically dominated by Belgians, with 54 of the 69 editions of Het Nieuwsblad won by home riders.
Bradley Wiggins will also be on the startline to ride in support of Stannard, as he continues his build-up to Paris-Roubaix.
>>> Omloop Het Nieuwsblad 2015 preview
Rowe and Stannard were out training just east of Oudenaarde on the Haaghoek sector of Pavé, which features three times on the course at 59, 110 and 157km, with seven other sectors to take on along the route as well.
They weren't the only ones out training either, as Sep Vanmarcke lead his Lotto.NL-Jumbo out on a recon as he eyes a second win in Het Nieuwsblad after winning the race in 2012.
The Belgian will be hoping for a victory in the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix later in the year as well, having already come close to a monument with a second place in Roubaix in 2013 and third in Flanders last year.
Thank you for reading 5 articles this month* Join now for unlimited access
Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
*Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription
Join now for unlimited access
Try first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
-
-
Simon Yates abandons Giro d'Italia with ongoing knee issue
Team BikeExchange-Jayco rider won two stages, but missed out on GC challenge
-
Is this Ineos Grenadiers' Tour de France team? Geraint Thomas teases with eight-man training squad photo
It would not be a surprise to see the same faces in Copenhagen
-
Jumbo-Visma stopping Wout van Aert from sharing Strava rides: 'We want to prevent speculation'
General manager Richard Plugge said the team won't risk Wout van Aert's involvement in Paris-Roubaix if he isn't fully fit
-
Have you heard the one about why Australian track riders dye their hair blonde? Ineos Grenadiers's Luke Plapp reveals all as he seeks world track and road glory
The Ineos Grenadiers youngster is expected to be one of the peloton's strongest time triallists in the ensuing seasons
-
Cross-country ski podiums and maybe racing mountain biking again: Sepp Kuss and his own unique trajectory, 'not wanting to feel too much pressure, or have an over-necessity to win'
The Jumbo-Visma rider takes his cycling seriously, but enjoyment takes precedence
-
Tom Pidcock and Geraint Thomas to make season debuts at Volta ao Algarve
David Gaudu, Remco Evenepoel and Tobias Foss will also race in Portugal from tomorrow
-
Who is Kim Heiduk, Ineos Grenadiers' young German signed to bolster their sprint and Classics options?
The 21-year-old spent three years at the U23 team Lotto-Kern Haus
-
Surprise: Egan Bernal posts video of himself walking unaided following crash
Colombian has returned home for rehab after spending two weeks in hospital after his collision
-
'It’s like being born again': Egan Bernal on being alive after crash
Ineos Grenadiers rider says his life changed in a second, as he is released from hospital after crash
-
Egan Bernal leaves hospital in Colombia two weeks after training crash
Ineos Grenadiers rider now faces "long" rehabilitation, no complications reported
