For the third race in a row, NetApp-Endura will be without their captain Sam Bennett. Instead, the team will line up sprinters like Blaz Jarc, Scott Thwaites and Ralf Matzka in the Omloop van Het Houtland Lichtervelde.

For Team NetApp – Endura, the Omloop van Het Houtland Lichtervelde, which takes place next Wednesday in West Flanders, will be the final Belgian race of this season. The start and finish of the 200-kilometer sprint classic will be in Lichtervelde. Last year, Blaz Jarc was Team NetApp – Endura’s best-finishing rider, claiming a good sixth place in the bunch sprint. This year, Germany’s highest-ranked cycling team will have to manage without its sprint captain, Sam Bennett, who is ill.

“In terms of the profile, Lichtervelde is rather flat, but the wind there can make the race difficult. In the past, the race very often came down to a bunch sprint. We’ll be competing there with the same line-up that we had on the weekend. And even though we’ll have to do without the designated sprint captain once again, all the guys have experience under their belts when it comes to classic races. So we’ll try to have an aggressive and active race. The race on Saturday, where Andreas made a very good showing, can serve as an example for us there,” says Andre Schulze, Team NetApp – Endura's Sport Director.

The initial section of the 70th Omloop van Het Houtland Lichtervelde will include a 113-kilometer circuit through the province of West Flanders. Although the course does not offer any significant cobblestone stretches or climbs, this first section could prove decisive for the eventual outcome of the race as it is susceptible to wind. The final 90 kilometers will be raced on a 10.8-kilometer circuit around Lichtervelde. Although that final section is also susceptible to wind, this classic race usually ends with a sprint involving the entire field. The approach to the finish line, in particular, can be considered technically demanding due to its many curves.

Line-up:

Blaz Jarc, Ralf Matzka, Andreas Schillinger, Daniel Schorn, Michael Schwarzmann, Scott Thwaites