Team Picnic PostNL coach Pim Ligthart: “For all the riders on the line-up, it will be their first race of the season so we were motivated to start in a good way and actively be in the race. With John and Sean we have experienced riders who can use their abilities and strength to get our climbing group in the right position for the key ascents that come later in the day. Then with Jurgen, Juan, Warren and Max we have a group who can all animate the race when we get towards the final. You never know how things will react in the first race of the season, so we want to race smart, look for our opportunities to be at the front and take on the final with an open mind.”