The "World Ports Classics" is a short tour divided into two one-day stages between the Dutch port of Rotterdam and its Belgian counterpart Antwerp. Instead of mountains, the deciding factors in this 354-kilometer race tend to be wind, cobblestones, and time bonuses.

From the perspective of NetApp – Endura, Sam Bennett should have the best chance of winning after his second place at the Garmin Velothon Berlin.

"If you look at the photo of the winners in Berlin, you see immediately that Sam Bennett was anything but happy with second place. This means that he's extremely motivated to avenge what he views as a defeat," says Sport Director Christian Pömer with regard to the ambitions of the 24-year-old NetApp – Endura sprinter.

"At the moment, it's a big advantage to have Sam's successes encourage other sprinters to develop. We have a superb team spirit. The World Ports Classics is the perfect opportunity to exploit this! You have to remember that the race is not just decided by the stage positions but also by the intermediate sprints, and we've got a number of options for that," adds Pömer.

"De Koers van de Wind" – in English "The Race of the Wind" – is the apt nickname for the World Ports Classics, with the first stage being particularly notorious for heavy winds. The first 195-kilometer leg leading from Rotterdam to Antwerp goes through the Dutch province of Zeeland, skirting its many beaches populated by wind and kite surfers. Things get somewhat less windy on the 159 kilometers of the second leg from Antwerp back to Rotterdam on the Sunday, but riders have to conquer four "Kasseistrooks" – Dutch for cobblestone sections.

All in all, the NetApp – Endura team is optimally equipped with a good mix of sprinters, lead-out riders, and classics specialists for the two-stage tour between the two world ports.

Line-up: Sam Bennett, Blaz Jarc, Ralf Matzka, Jonathan McEvoy, Erick Rowsell, Daniel Schorn, Michael Schwarzmann