Team Sky head to Amstel Gold Race with Kwiatkowski in the hunt

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Team Sky have announced their eight-man team for Sunday's Amstel Gold Race with 2015 winner Michal Kwiatkowski leading the line. The Milan-San Remo and Strade Biache winner skipped the cobbled Classics through March and April, with his focus firmly on the Ardennes after he picked up Team Sky's second-ever Monument last month. 

The new-look Amstel sees the final ascent of the Cauberg removed, leaving the race far more open to the sprinters. However Kwiatkowski has shown that he can eliminate the fast men with his tactical nous and he remains a red-hot favourite for the race.

Kwiatkowski will be joined by Sergio and Sebastian Henao, although Woet Poels has been ruled out the Ardennes campaign with a knee injury. The Dutch rider claimed Team Sky's first ever Monument win last year in Liége-Bastogne-Liége. Michal Golas also lines up in Amstel, with Danny Van Poppel, Łukasz Wiśniowski and neo-pros Owain Doull and Tao Geoghegan Hart rounding out the roster. Kenny Elissonde had been in the running for a spot but the Frenchman is currently training with Chris Froome and Geraint Thomas at altitude in Tenerife.

Froome, meanwhile, will not race any of the Ardennes races. His next outing will be the Tour de Romandie later this month. He will then race the Critérium du Dauphiné in June as his final preparation for the Tour de France. The British rider is looking to win his fourth Tour title but also has one eye on the Vuelta a España later in the year.