German team T-Mobile has made public its roster for the Circuit Franco-Belge from September 28-October 1. Seasoned sprinters Olaf Pollack and André Korff will line up alongside the younger Eric Baumann and André Greipel in the four-day competition, as well as young stagiaire Mark Cavendish.
"After all it's typical sprinter's parcours here in Western Flanders," said sporting director Frans van Looy. "You are well-advised to have enough fast men onboard. In Andreas Klier, T-Mobile also has a classic specialists in their ranks, who - like Italian Lorenzo Bernucci and Dutchman Bas Giling - will be looking to jump away in likely breaks.
The fiercest competition is likely to come from the Belgian hosts, most notably Quick.Step and Davitamon-Lotto. Former World champion Tom Boonen will be assisted by Wilfried Cretskens, Servais Knaven and Nick Nuyens, while Davitamon-Lotto have Nico Mattan as the ace up their sleeve. The 700km course will take the riders from Maubeuge in France to classics terrain in Western Flanders. The notorious Belgian crosswinds are sure to make it a tricky race, in which Unibet's Marco Zanotti will try to defend his title.
