On the back of a win in E3 and third in Gent-Wevelgem, coupled with the absences of Tom Boonen and Fabian Cancellara, many people are calling Geraint Thomas the favourite for tomorrow’s Tour of Flanders, along with Sep Vanmarcke. Welshman Thomas has never been a Flanders favourite before, but isn’t letting the tag get to his head.

“Saying you're one of the favourites and stuff, it is really nice. I'm kind of treating it like I did with any track race - we went into most of those races as favourites,” Thomas said following his recon of the Tour of Flanders route. “I'm just focusing on myself as an individual, and on the team and how we want to race. Obviously a Classic has a hundred more variables than a team pursuit on the track, but I can't control most of it. We just have to do what we can.”

Thomas says that Cancellara and Boonen’s absences have changed the dynamic of the race completely, as Etixx-QuickStep have less cards to play and Cancellara, often the man who makes the decisive move in the race, is now gone.

“I think all the other riders feel like they can win it,” he said. “It will make it more of an open race. I think it will be more tactical; there will be guys flying off up the road all the time. There will be that whole thing 'who will ride?' I think it will be a big chess game on wheels whereas in the past it was maybe 'last time up the Kwaremont Fabian would go and it was a case of who could go with him; who had the legs.”

Thomas’ teammate Luke Rowe says Sky has come of age this season and that they know they can challenge Etixx-QuickStep to be the best team in the Classics.

“I think it’s been a long time coming… I think we’re really coming of age as a team,” said Luke Rowe, another of the team’s success stories. “Quickstep and these strong super teams who have conquered the classics for years, it all became realistic that we can beat them and I think confidence is massive going into these classics and I think we’re just riding a wave at the moment and we’ve got to keep it rolling for another couple of weeks in terms of the classics.”

Rowe also says that the team fully believes in Thomas, saying they will defend him and look after him in the race regardless of the circumstances.

“We’ve got different guys for certain parts of the race and my aim is to support the team but toward the back end of the race, so to get through that first fight and don’t be one of the first guys to be used up and hopefully be there when there are 30-50 guys and it really comes to the crunch time,” said Rowe. “G is in incredible form and he’s going to be the leader come this Sunday so I’ll do everything I can, bury myself for him."