Following a sub-standard performance in the horrendous weather conditions at Milan-San Remo, Filippo Pozzato (Lampre-Merida) focuses his attentions on the Belgian classics, and he launches his cobbled campaign at E3 Harelbeke on Friday.

Fabian Cancellara (RadioShack Leopard), Tom Boonen (Omega Pharma-Quick Step), Peter Sagan (Cannondale) and Pozzato all chose to omit Dwars door Vlaanderen on Wednesday and they will surely rank among the favourites for E3 Harelbeke, an event that marks a crucial test ahead of the Tour of Flanders on March 31.

“Harelbeke is a race that I really like a lot, and not just because I won it in 2009,” Pozzato said in an official press release from his Lampre-Merida team. “The route suits me, the level of competition is high and it’s played out in an atmosphere of great intensity, given that it’s a sort of test ahead of the Tour of Flanders. The favourites study one another, try to understand how their rivals are going, and at the same, try to land the winning blow.”

The significance of E3 Harelbeke was enhanced still further last season when it was added to the WorldTour calendar and switched from Saturday to Friday – in addition to being a warm-up race and a test before De Ronde, it is now a fundamental chance to score UCI points.

“Now that it’s been put on the WorldTour calendar, the level has gone up another notch,” Pozzato said. The Italian named Boonen, Cancellara and Sagan as the pre-race favourites but believes that other candidates will emerge. “With Flanders in mind, it will be very interesting to see if there are some other riders riding strongly.”

The long weekend in Flanders continues on Sunday with Gent-Wevelgem, a race in which Pozzato supposes that he will be less competitive, although “it might still take on an entirely different character depending on how Harelbeke is raced.”

On Friday you can follow the action at E3 Harelbeke here on Cyclingquotes.com starting at 15.15