Roompot's van Schip uses 32cm Japanese handlebars as a track carryover
A midweek offering for the sprinters in the week between Flanders and Roubaix, Scheldeprijs is an important fixture on the classics calendar.
The flat profile will make it hard for anyone hoping to deny the sprinters, but there are at least a few cobblestones to be covered, and the likelihood of high winds could always make things interesting. At the very least, riders should be on their toes and alert for potential pile-ups – crashes have been a frequent feature of this race in the past.
Quick-Step's Marcel Kittel is the defending champion and has won five of the last six editions of the race. Former winner Mark Cavendish and André Greipel (Lotto Soudal) won't line out for the race but there remains a number of fast men who will challenge the German for victory. Arnaud Démare and Dylan Groenewegen are two inform sprinters in particular worth watching in the expected bunch sprint finale.
