The 200km race set in West Flanders promises to deliver again in terms of spectacle and excitement.
Since Handzame Classic was created back in 2002, the Belgian race has always served as the perfect dress rehearsal for the big northern classics of the spring, as it blends treacherous cobbles, short hills (Stadenberg, Hoogledeberg, Gitsberg and Ruidenberg) and harsh weather conditions, all key ingredients for an aggressive and spectacular race, often won from a reduced bunch, just as it was the case in 2015, when our team took home the spoils.
Also this year, Quick-Step Floors – already the World Tour outfit with the most victories (16) since the start of the season – will send a strong squad at the start of the 198km-long race between Bredene and Handzame, consisting of Rémi Cavagna, Tim Declercq, Tour of Belgium and Tour de Wallonie winner Dries Devenyns, Giro d'Italia stage victor Iljo Keisse, Yves Lampaert, Davide Martinelli (one of the best neo-pros of 2016), Maximilian Schachmann and Martin Velits.
Photo credit: ©Tim De Waele
