Belkin will go into the Tour of Britain with the goal of winning a stage. Barry Markus will target the sprint finishes while Lars Petter Nordaug will keep an eye on the overall standings.

Belkin Pro Cycling TEAM hopes to light up the Tour of Britain, which runs September 7-14 across the breath of England. The race opens with a circuit course in Liverpool and ends with an individual time trial in London.

The race will also feature a short, but steep mountaintop finale that should have a major impact on how the fight for race victory shapes up.

"I think if we can win a stage during the week, we would be happy with that," said Belkin Sports Director Jan Boven. "For the GC, we need to look at it day to day. It's not an easy race."
 

Major British stars Mark Cavendish (Omega Pharma-Quick Step) and defending champion Bradley Wiggins (Sky) will be the centre of attention, but Belkin will be trying to elbow its way into the action.

"I don't expect to see sprints every day, but Cavendish and [Marcel] Kittel (Giant-Shimano) will both be there, so their teams will be working to control the stages," Boven said. "There is one day with an uphill finish, and that will be the important day for the GC, along with the final time trial. We will be looking for opportunities."

Boven said the team will ride for Barry Markus in the sprints, and Lars Petter Nordhaug for the GC.
 

One of the key members of the team will be cagey veteran Bram Tankink, who promises the team will put up a big fight.

"Everyone is excited to race in England. The sport is really growing in Britain, as we saw this summer with the Tour de France starting in Leeds," Tankink said. "The Tour of Britain is a beautiful race. We won it a few years ago with Lars Boom [in 2011]. It will be hard in the sprints, with Cavendish and Kittel there, but there are only two days for real sprints. The rest of the days are quite hard, so we will have our chances to try to win a stage."

Tankink is also hoping to use the Britain tour to earn a spot for the Holland's nine-man squad for the upcoming world road cycling championships in Spain on September 28.

"I got sick last weekend, but I am feeling better now and I can train, but I don't know how it's going to affect my condition," Tankink said. "Normally, the goal would be to be strong at the Tour of Britain, and then race the worlds. I think I can still make a good British tour. You never know how your body reacts after sickness."
 

TEAM line-up:

Lars Petter Nordhaug, Barry Markus, Rick Flens, Bram Tankink, Maarten Wynants and Jetse Bol.