Belkin will line up two of its best sprinters for this week's pair of Belgian one-day races. While Barry Markus will be the captain in Nokere Koerse, Theo Bos will target success in Handzame Classic.

The Belkin Pro Cycling Team continue their run up to the Classics with a duo of Belgian races that take in wind, hills, cobbles and sprints at Nokere Koerse and the Handzame Classic.

Twists and turns The Semi Classic Nokere Koerse race on the 19th of this month will show off many of the conditions that make Belgian bike racing so famous and so loved. Finishing on a cobbled, up hill sprint the race twist and turns its way through the heart of the Belgian classics territory from Ronse to Nokere, climbing and descending many of the roads used in the Tour of Flanders.

It's a race that Sports Director Michiel Elijzen knows well;

"I raced Nokere quite a few times and I liked racing in Belgium, it's a great race but the finish is a hard cobbled sprint. We have a great team, very strong and with good experience and it will be really good for Barry Markus to be leader on the day. He's going very well and he will make the most of being the main sprinter with Hofland and Bos not in the race."

Markus himself is no stranger to Nokere Koerse as he explains;

"Although the race was cancelled last year because of heavy snow I rode the race the year before and know that it is a very hard sprint finish, but I feel good at the moment and I'll be going for a good result with a great team to get me to the sprint."

Meanwhile Theo Bos will lead the Belkin team for the Handzame Classic two days later, a parcours suited to the big Dutch sprinter.

"Handzame is much flatter than Nokere," says Bos, "It's not super difficult but there is a long straight with a shallow curve at the finish and it will be very fast. I have raced there twice and been 4th one time so maybe it's third time lucky!"

Bos, who partnered Australian Graeme Brown in the Six Days of Rotterdam is full of praise for the Aussie fast man and the team.

"Graeme is going really well and he'll help me in the finish and the team has had such a good run up to the race that for sure we will go for the win."

Line-up Nokere Koerse: 
Jack Bobridge, Jetse Bol, Laurens ten Dam, Nick van der Lijke, Barry Markus, Paul Martens and Dennis van Winden

Line-up Handzame Classic:
Jack Bobridge, Theo Bos, Graeme Brown, Stef Clement, Marc Goos, Barry Markus, Nick van der Lijke and Dennis van Winden