An 8-man roster of CCC Sprandi Polkowice will line up in the French Cup event, GP de Denain – Porte du Hainaut (14.04).

For the first time in history the race has granted a 1.HC status. Because of that, it’s expected that some of the strongest riders, mostly from France, will want to make their presence known. There are three “tricolore” squads from UCI World Tour on the start list.

The event is held in the north of France, right next to the border with Belgium. It’s 200 kilometers long and includes  three circuits. The profile is relatively flat and the long, finishing straight is also something that suits typical sprinters. In the past 7 years the race has always ended with a bunch gallop, so it will be extremely hard for the escapees to hold off the chasing peloton.

Due to sprinters’ terrain, there are two fast riders on the “orange roster”: Eryk Latoń and Grzegorz Stępniak. The former has two top 10 finishes in his 2016 palmeres, by taking 9th in Clasica de Almeria and 4th in the Polish season opener in Sobótka. The latter claimed 8th on one of the stages of Dubai Tour early in the year.

The rest of the CCC Sprandi Polkowice riders – Mateusz Taciak, Adrian Honkisz, Marcin Mrożek, Bartłomiej Matysiak, Tomasz Kiendyś and Kamil Małecki – will help the sprinters in positioning in the finale and try to slip into the breakaway of the day.

Line-up of CCC Sprandi Polkowice for GP de Denain – Porte du Hainaut (14.04, 1.HC):

Grzegorz Stępniak, Eryk Latoń, Mateusz Taciak, Adrian Honkisz, Marcin Mrożek, Bartłomiej Matysiak, Tomasz Kiendyś, Kamil Małecki