“After a good period of preparation in training and racing over the last few months we are ready for the start of the classics season in Belgium,” said coach Rudi Kemna. “With the line-up we bring here we have a strong unit and making the most of this overall strength will be important for us on Saturday. We will favour the strength of the collective rather than designating one leader.”
Zico Waeytens, who finished 15th in the race in 2014, returns to the line-up for his first Belgium classic with Team Giant-Alpecin. Waeytens is joined by Nikias Arndt, who showed strong form in the crosswinds at the Tour of Qatar, along with with Bert De Backer, Ramon Sinkeldam, Tom Stamsnijder and Albert Timmer, all of whom raced in the echelons in the desert. Roy Curvers will be the team's captain on the road, and he completes the line-up together with Koen de Kort.
“To stay in control we will look toward being in the important breaks so as to not waste energy needlessly ahead of the final,” Kemma said. “Then later on we hope to use all of our personal strengths together to go for a strong result.”
Team Sky's Ian Stannard won the race last year. Dries Devenyens was Giant's top finisher last year, coming in eighth.
Giant-Alpecin for Omloop Het Nieuwsblad: Nikias Arndt, Roy Curvers, Bert De Backer, Koen de Kort, Ramon Sinkeldam, Tom Stamsnijder, Albert Timmer, Zico Waeytens
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