The Ster ZLM Toer gets underway on Wednesday in Goes, Holland and Team MTN-Qhubeka p/b Samsung will be taking part in the Dutch UCI 2.1 race. The event opens with a short prologue followed by 4 road stages, ending on Sunday in Boxtel.

The Ster ZLM Toer is your typical Dutch tour, no high mountains but plenty of punchy climbs and more than likely, crosswinds.  Numerous classics riders have found success in years gone past at the ZLM Toer, just like Philippe Gilbert (BMC) who is a three-time overall winner of the event.

A good performance at the short 6.4km prologue will go a long way to ensuring a decent GC result as the following 4 road stages could all end in bunch gallops, or in pieces, depending on weather and tactics. The unpredictable nature of the race makes it a great challenge that Team MTN-Qhubeka p/b Samsung riders are looking forward to.

Kristian Sbaragli and Gerald Ciolek should feel right at home during the tough road stages and will look to be in contention for stage victories. Joining them are Matt Goss, Youcef Reguigui, Andy Stauff, Matt Brammeier, Jaco Venter and Nic Dougall.

"Our plan for the coming week is to look less at the other sprint teams and rely on our sprint. The last while maybe we have been looking at the other teams a bit much. We are going to prepare our own sprint and then a rider like Greipel can follow our wheel and not the other way around where we all fight for his wheel. It will be tough but we must fight," sports director Michel Cornelisse said.