Orica-GreenEDGE goes into the Eneco Tour with a focus on the sprint finishes as they line up Liegh Howard, Matt Goss and Aidis Kruopis in the WorldTour race. In addition to the flat stages, they will target the TT with Damien Howson, Jens Mouris and Michael Hepburn.

ORICA-GreenEDGE’s fast men will take centre stage at the Eneco Tour next week, targeting stage wins during the week-long Tour in Belgium and the Netherlands starting Monday.

Without a suitable general classification rider at the race, the team will target the several flat sprint stages as well as a good performance in the time trial on stage three.

The eight riders for the Eneco Tour are: Aidis Kruopis, Damien Howson, Jens Keukeleire, Jens Mouris, Leigh Howard, Mathew Hayman, Matthew Goss and Michael Hepburn.

“We don’t have any real GC (general classification) guys going to the race so we will be going there to target stage wins,” sport director Matt Wilson said.

“We are coming in with a really strong sprint contingent, three of our fastest guys in Leigh (Howard), Aidis (Kruopis) and Gossy (Matt Goss) so obviously we will try and be pretty competitive on the sprint stages.

“We also have a few time trial specialists that will be having crack in the time trial on stage three as well as some good experienced guys for the Flanders stage on stage five.

“We have got a pretty good team, everyone seems to be in good form and all of our specialists are going so it should be a good race for us.”

Wilson expects the elements to play a crucial role in the outcome of racing.

“Eneco is not your typical Tour with your flat sprint stages and mountain stages,” he said.

“The races in Belgium and Holland are undulating, the climbs are all very short but it is normally the weather and the wind, crashes and a lot of other factors determining how the stages will play out.

“On stage five, the Geraardsbergen stage, there is a lot of pave and a lot of the climbs they use to go around in the old Tour of Flanders circuit so that is more the factors I mean.

“But there is certainly at least three possible sprint stages for us to look at.”

ORICA-GreenEDGE at the Eneco Tour:

Aidis Kruopis
Damien Howson
Jens Keukeleire
Jens Mouris
Leigh Howard
Mathew Haymen
Matthew Goss
Michael Hepburn