Lampre-Merida with first Chinese and Taiwanese riders at Tour of Flanders

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Chung Feng await the start(Image credit: Courtesy of Polartec-Kometa)

Having started with an all-Italian line up at the first monument of the season at Milan-San Remo, there is an international flair to Lampre-Merida's Tour of Flanders squad with Chun Kai Feng and Gang Xu to become the first Taiwanese and Chinese starters in the history of the Belgian monument. The Italian WorldTour team are also likely to make history with its riders likely to be on disc equipped Merida's.

"The riders like them. Four riders are using them at home in training and their feedback has been very positive," team manager Brent Copeland told Cyclingnews last month of the response from his riders to using disc brakes. "We're happy to work with Merida to ensure everything works perfectly. We think disc brakes are the future and want to use them in the Classics where they can make a real difference."

Feng and Xu both rode E3 Harelbeke, Gent-Wevelgem and the Three Days of De Panne in preparation for Flanders although both riders failed to finish any of the races. Feng, 27, rode Paris - Roubaix last year with Lampre-Merida while Xu is experiencing his longest classics campaign so far in his career. Both riders are likely to ride in support of the team which includes three Italians and two Slovenians.