As already known there will be no Mark Cavendish for Omega Pharma-Quick Step at the Vuelta a Espana and the team has no winning candidate either. Instead, the Belgians will send a versatile roster to the race and has options in the time trials, the sprints and the mountains.

Omega Pharma-Quick Step will send a very versatile roster to the Vuelta a Espana, trying to cover all possible race scenarios and cover its bases on all different types of stages. As usual, the team has no genuine winner option and instead the team has set its sights on stage wins - despite the absence of Mark Cavendish.

The team's best chance may come in the 38,8km time trial as the team lines up defending world champion Tony Martin who will use the event to prepare for his title defence in late September. The German also raced the grand tour last year but failed to win the time trial on that occasion, thus hoping to make amends this time.

Kristof Vandewalle will provide the team with another option in the time trial. The Belgian currently defended his national championships crown and will use the race to fine-tune his condition for the world team time trial championships.

Vandewalle and Martin will combine forces in the opening team time trial which is a clear target for the defending world champion in the discipline.

"We have a good, well blended team at the start of La Vuelta," sports director Rik van Slycke said. "We have the right mix of young and experienced guys. For the TT, we can count on Tony Martin and Kristof Vandewalle who have both had successful seasons. Tony is the UCI World TT Champion and has won almost every ITT he raced this year — including a stage of the Tour de France. Kristof is the two-time Belgian Champion in the discipline. So we can rely on them for the ITT but also for the TTT which we are aiming for as the defending UCI World TTT Champions. We have a strong group of guys who will be prepared and motivated for the TTT that opens La Vuelta on Saturday in Vilanova de Arousa, ending in Sanxenxo."

The in-form rider on the roster is Zdenek Stybar who won two stages and the overall at the Eneco Tour last week. Being strong on smaller climbs and fast in a sprint, the Czech has all the abilities to shine in the medium mountain stages. Here he will join forces with Gianni Meersman who is more than capable at winning sprints on selective stages, having already taken stage wins at the Tour de Romandie and Volta a Catalunya this season. He recently won the prologue of the Tour de l'Ain.

"We also have strong riders for all other race scenarios," Van Slycke continued. "For example, Zdenek Stybar who is super motivated after his two stage wins and the overall victory at Eneco Tour. You never know with him. He can have a good performance in the middle mountains and try to go for a stage win. We can also count on Gianni Meersman. He has won five stages this year so far and is always dangerous in a certain kind of final."

With no less than 11 uphill finishes, the race is one for the climbers and Omega Pharma-Quick Step will line up three of those. Kevin De Weert has red-circled the Vuelta as his major target for the season and his 15th place and aggressive showing at the Eneco Tour shows that he is coming into form. As a former top 15-finisher in the Tour, he may even target the GC. Serge Pauwels will race his second grand tour this season, having already showed plenty of aggression during the Giro. Pieter Serry will make his grand tour debut, having recently performed well in the Tour de l'Ain.

"For the mountains, we have riders like Kevin De Weert and Serge Pauwels," Van Slycke said. "They both prepared for this race and have shown they are in good condition for those kinds of stages. We can also count on Pieter Serry. He is a young guy at his first big tour and he can be a good helper on the climbs. He can go into this race and discover himself during the next three weeks."

There won't be many sprint stages in the race but the team still expects to be present when the fast men get their rare chances. Andy Fenn will target the bunch kicks and will get support from classics specialist Guillaume Van Keirsbulck.

"For the sprints, we have Andy Fenn who is also at his first big tour," Van Slycke said. "Guillaume Van Keirsbulck is another young guy who is ready to show himself. It is important for Guillaume and Andy to be there to try and learn and also be there at the last stage in Madrid. To finish La Vuelta will be an important objective for them, but they can also play a role in the flat stages even if there are not that many. Overall, we have both experienced guys and young guys who can target stage victories."

The Vuelta starts on Saturday with a team time trial in Galicia.

Omega Pharma-Quick Step for the Vuelta a Espana

Tony Martin, Kristof Vandewalle, Andrew Fenn, Guillaume Van Keirsbulck, Kevin De Weert, Serge Pauwels, Pieter Serry, Gianni Meerman and Zdenek Stybar