Since singing from Milram in 2011, Niki Terostra has become an increasingly more important part of the Etixx-QuickStep team in each passing season. The Dutchman won Paris-Roubaix last year and extended his deal for three more seasons, but says his status hasn’t changed within the team. On why he resigned with the team he said in an interview with PEZ Cycling it was down to:

“The co-operation with everybody, with the riders, with the staff and the team directors, we have the same vision. We speak a lot with each other about the small things and about tactics and material [equipment], training camps and stuff like this. We can always discuss things and of course Etixx – Quick-Step always like to ride offensively and I like to ride offensively, so it suits me really well and it’s a top team and so I’m really happy to be here for the next up and coming three years.”

And on his role for the 2015 season, he said that he expects to remain a leader in the Classics, but never the out and out leader but always a card to play in the final:

“I don’t think it’s different from last year. Of course they trust me or other wise they wouldn’t want to keep me for another three years and I’m happy with that, but I don’t think it will change a lot. The strength of our team is that we have a lot of good riders coming to the final of a race, not just one captain, but more riders who can finish the job and that is the strength of our team.”

Heading into the Classics, the Dutchman is targeting good results in every race from the Tour of Qatar until Paris-Roubaix. He says he sees every team in the bunch as a threat to the Etixx-QuickStep Classics squad. As for after the Classics, he hasn’t seen his program for after but he does want to lead the Netherlands at the World championships, which feature a cobbled climb in Richmond, Virginia.

“I think the parcours of the Worlds suits me well and of course that’s the opinion of the coach also, but now I do it step by step and for now I focus on to the end of April and then I’m going to focus on the next step.”

He spoke about just how hard it is to get into the team’s Classics squad and what the emotions are like leading up to the Classics campaign.

“Of course you have to show you are in good shape, but the riders know their place in the team and their job. We don’t even discus it, we like to work with each other and that’s a good chemistry and if you see the main selection that does the Classics it has been there for four years. Maybe there are some slight changes, but it’s a tight group.”

“Yeah it’s getting nervous, but it’s a good nervous actually. There is tension in the team as the selections of the teams are being announced; everybody is getting in good race shape.”

Terpstra prefers the way his tem works, with multiple cards like himself, Tom Boonen and Zdenek Stybar to use in the final of the biggest Classics, as opposed to teams like Tinkoff-Saxo, Sky and Trek, who all have just on leader to take all the pressure.

“I really like this system, especially with Tom [Boonen]; he always has your back actually. You know he’s there, he can finish the job and together I feel really strong with him and confident and that’s the thing I prefer to being the only guy. If everyone is in good shape we have a really good team: Trentin can win the races, Stybar can win the races, Vandenbergh can win the races.”

Terpstra wants his team to succeed in the Classics, but as defending Roubaix champion, wearing the number one dossard, he says anything other than a win will feel like a defeat for him.

“You know if you are the No. 1 in an event and you come back the next year, if you don’t win, then it feels like losing. So of course I’m extremely motivated to race well there again. But in the end I might not be able to focus on myself to win, but for the team to win because other wise it might screw up our strength.”