After missing the final podium of the Vuelta al Pais Vasco by just one single second, an in-form Simon Spilak will travel to Belgium to participate in the Brabantse Pijl. In the traditional warm-up for the Ardennes classics, the strong Slovenian will lead a Katusha team with plenty of options.

Simon Spilak has been on a roll this year. After taking a strong 4th in the Vuelta a Andalucia, he lined-up as joint captain with Denis Menchov in the Paris-Nice. While the veteran Russian was caught out on a tricky descent, the young Slovenian stayed with the best throughout the race and ended up 6th.

After working for Joaquin Rodriguez in the Volta a Catalunya, the winner of the 2010 Tour de Romandie was back in a leading role in a hard week of racing in the Basque Country. He took an impressive solo victory in the GP Miguel Indurain before he finished off a performance as one of the main actors with a 4th place in the Vuelta al Pais Vasco.

The Slovenian will now travel North to target the Ardennes classics. While he will work for Rodriguez, he will get another chance to go for a personal result in Wednesday's warm-up event, the Brabantse Pijl. The Slovenian's lack of explosiveness may not make him perfectly suited to the course, but there is no doubt that he will try to capitalize on his strong form.

Should Spilak fail to be in the mix, the team will look to Xavier Florencio who should excel on the course. The punchy rider was 7th in both the 2004 and 2009 editions and hopes to do even better this time around.

Another option could be German sprinter Rüdiger Selig. The young talent is in great form at the moment but the course will probably prove to be too hard for the fast finisher.

Katusha's team for the race is completed by Sergei Chernetskii, Alexander Porsev, Timofey Kritskiy, Pavel Brutt and Mikhail Ignatiev.

On Wednesday, you can follow the race live on CyclingQuotes.com/live.