Hammond wants result in Roubaix lead-up

T-Mobile classic specialist Roger Hammond is aiming for a good result in today's Gent-Wevelgem race to cement his position as a contender for this weekend's Paris-Roubaix Spring Classic. The British rider enters the race off the back of a fortnight of disappointment in Belgium, where he finished a disappointing 39th in the UCI 2.HC De Panne-Koksijde and abandoned the weekend's Ronde van Vlaanderen (Tour of Flanders).

"Not finishing at the Tour of Flanders was obviously disappointing for me but it means I will be even more determined as I go into today's race alongside my T-Mobile teammates," he explained.

Hammond has contested Gent-Wevelgem with some success in years gone by, taking sixth place in 2004 and eighth in 2003. He will undoubtedly be hoping to avoid a repeat of his last appearance at the Semi Classic for today's race, after crashing out in 2005.

"It's a very different type of event from the Tour of Flanders and is likely to throw up a host of new challenges as well as being a great warm-up for Paris-Roubaix this Sunday," added Hammond.

Hammond is hoping to repeat his success of the 2004 Paris-Roubaix on Sunday, when he sprinted to third place while rider for the MrBookmaker-Palmans squad.