Bauke Mollema will start Monday as the leader for the Blanco Pro Cycling Team in the Vuelta Ciclista al País Vasco. The Dutchman will be supported in the Basque Country by, amongst others, Laurens ten Dam and Tom-Jelte Slagter.

“We’ll go with the guys that we also want to deploy in the Wallonian classics,” according to sports director Erik Dekker who added that, “This race is a goal unto itself. Bauke is our leader but Laurens and Tom-Jelte can also perform well on this tour and they could play an important role in certain stages.”

The Vuelta Ciclista al País Vasco runs from April 1-7.

Blanco line-up:

Laurens ten Dam, Juan Manuel Garate, Paul Martens, Bauke Mollema, Lars Petter Nordhaug, David Tanner, Tom-Jelte Slagter and Bram Tankink.