Lars Petter Nordhaug will get a rare chance to ride on home soil when he lines up as Belkin leader in the Tour of Norway which starts on Wednesday. Barry Markus will target success in the sprints while Bauke Mollema will start his preparation for the Tour de France in the five-day race.

The Belkin Pro Cycling TEAM hopes to do well in the Tour of Norway from May 21 to 25 with a motivated home rider and a fit sprinter. Norway's Lars Petter Nordhaug hopes to fight for the overall victory, while Barry Markus should be able to win bunch sprints.

"A home race is always very special," said Nordhaug, who turned 30 on Wednesday. "Just like last year, we'll pass close by my house. After the classics, I was pretty tired, but I've been training hard for quite some time again."

Nordhaug's training rides gave him confidence. He occasionally rode with Ole Einar Bjørndalen, who is the most successful Olympic winter athlete of all time since the Sochi Olympics.

"During this time of the year, he rides his bike in order to stay fit. Sometimes we train together."
 

Sports Director Erik Dekker will lead a nice mix of riders in Norway.

"With Lars Petter, we have a favourite in the ranks. He knows almost all the stages and is very motivated. Barry Markus is our man for the sprints. He did well in recent weeks, like in the Tour of Turkey. For the team it's a great challenge to try and help Barry record his first pro victory. If he gets a chance, he needs to seize it. That's the art of sprinting."

The other riders will have a supporting role, although wherever possible, they are allowed to go for their own chances.

"The other guys haven't raced for quite a while after an earlier peak. They cannot wait to get started again.

"For Bauke Mollema, the Tour of Norway is an important training race. He needs to rebuild his condition and hardness again with the Tour de France coming up."
 

Stef Clement, Barry Markus, Paul Martens, Bauke Mollema, Lars Petter Nordhaug and Sep Vanmarcke.