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Roelandts ready to attack Cancellara again

By Cycling News

published 5 April 2013

Roubaix suits me better than Flanders, says Belgian

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Jurgen Roelandts leads the Lotto Belisol squad down the Arenberg trench(Image credit: Photopress.be)

Snack time for Jurgen Roelandts (Lotto Belisol)(Image credit: Photopress.be)

Jurgen Roelandts (Lotto Belisol) will seek another cobbled Monument podium at Paris-Roubaix following a third place finish at the Tour of Flanders.(Image credit: Bettini Photo)

Peter Sagan and Jurgen Roelandts work to hold off the chasers(Image credit: Bettini Photo)

The 2013 Tour of Flanders podium (l-r): Peter Sagan, Fabian Cancellara, Jurgen Roelandts (Image credit: Fotoreporter Sirotti)

Lotto Belisol attacked the strength of Fabian Cancellara and his RadioShack Leopard team at the Tour of Flanders and the Belgian team's leader Jurgen Roelandts said that a repeat performance can be expected this Sunday at Paris-Roubaix.

Roelandts hit by race organiser's car at Gent-Wevelgem

Roelandts uses team tactics to finally show his class

Roelandts rode to third place behind Cancellara and Peter Sagan (Cannondale) but given the 27-year-old prefers Roubaix to De Ronde, he's hoping for more.

"Paris-Roubaix suits me better than the Tour of Flanders," Roelandts said during a press conference on Thursday. "It is more technical and more a knock-out race. It is the toughest course of the year. The competition is difficult to control, because there are always many different groups.

"The team performance at Flanders was very good, we can go confidently to Paris-Roubaix and my third place gives another extra boost. This is my last goal in the pre-season and I'm very motivated."

The Lotto Belisol squad joined many others on the 254km parcours for reconnaissance on Thursday and will be out once again on Friday morning. Roelandts noted that given the dry conditions, he expects to eat his fair share of dust come Sunday.

"I will be watched closely after my performance at the Tour of Flanders," Roelandts admitted. "Paris-Roubaix is my race," he continued. "Now it's all against one. Cancellara is the man to beat. I want to do something... I certainly do not start with the thought that I still cannot win.

"Just like in the Tour of Flanders is my intention to anticipate an attack from Fabian Cancellara. He is hard to beat if he does not have a mechanical or make tactical mistakes. It is up to us to force him to make mistakes."