After finishing second in the Roubaix velodrome last year, John Degenkolb was ecstatic with the result, however this year he will have the top step of the podium on this mind.

Sunday's Paris-Roubaix marks the end of the flat northern classics before the tougher, Ardennes tests present themselves. As such, Degenkolb and the riders who have supported him in his campaign over the past weeks will be looking to finish on a strong note on the infamous cobbles of 'The Hell of the North'.

"Paris-Roubaix marks the last cobbled classic of the campaign here and after a strong team performance in Flanders where we were able to support John deep into the final we can come here with a lot of confidence," said team coach Marc Reef.

"We come here with almost the same line-up we had at Flanders and are ready for an even better performance. Everybody is really motivated to give their best for John and he will be our leader for the race. He proved what he is capable of here last year and we're hoping for another top result."