Team Sky has assembled an impressive squad for the fourth edition of the Tour of Beijing, eager to improve on their run of podium finishes at the season ending UCI WorldTour event.

The British outfit has had a rider finish in third on the General Classification every year since the inaugural Tour of Beijing in 2011 through the exploits of Chris Froome (2011), Edvald Boasson Hagen (2012) and David Lopez (2013).

Edvald Boasson Hagen and David Lopez both return in 2014 and could no doubt be contenders for the opening stage; a new parcours suited to classics specialists and gritty punchuers with 1000 wind turbines creating challenging cross-winds for the peloton.

Austrian Bernhard Eisel, winner of Gent-Wevelgem in 2010, should also thrive in the tricky conditions on the opening stage.

Team Sky arrive in Beijing with solid options for the sprint finishes, with former Vuelta a Espana stage winner Chris ‘CJ’ Sutton, Boasson Hagen and former track world champion Ben Swift looking to continue his strong end of season form.

When the race heads into the mountains on stages three and four, American Ian Boswell along with Italian Dario Cataldo are likely to set the pace for Team Sky while Irishman Philip Deignan and Spain’s David Lopez look to make their mark on the General Classification in the shadows of the Great Wall.

Team Sky Sport Director Servais Knaven said the team won’t go in as favourites for the race but they do have a number of contenders and cards to play across the tricky parcours.

“We have David Lopez and Philip Deignan who will be our main GC contenders but also with the mountain top finish we have Bernie Eisel, Ben Swift and Edvald Boasson Hagen who can do well there and also support our GC riders” Knaven said.

“The opening stage looks interesting. If it’s really windy then we have a strong team to try something.  We will arrive a few days before and will be having a look at the route.  It’s also at quite a high altitude so this also makes it an interesting stage,” Knaven said.

Knaven said at the last major race of the season the outcome is always difficult to predict.

“It has been a long season and lots of riders are tired, so we hope that our riders are feeling a little fresher,” Knaven added.

The 2014 Tour of Beijing begins on Friday (10th October) and runs through to Tuesday as the last event on the UCI WorldTour calendar. The five day, 764.5 kilometre route provides for opportunistic racing and takes in breathtaking views of the Great Wall, Beijing’s mountain terrain and embraces key tourism attractions such as Tiananmen Square and the Bird’s Nest.