After missing Gent-Wevelgem through illness at the weekend, Ian Stannard (Team Sky) returned to competitive duty at the Three Days of De Panne on Tuesday as he continues his preparation for the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix.
Stannard, buoyed by his third place in E3 Harelbeke on Friday, travelled with Team Sky to Deinze for the start of Gent-Wevelgem, but eventually opted not to start due to the onset of a cold.
"It was more of a precaution, really," Stannard told Cyclingnews in De Panne on Tuesday. "It was a cold day and there was going to be hard racing. I felt it coming on, and if I'd raced there I probably won't be racing here. It was a precaution, but it was a tough decision to miss it."
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Stannard came home three minutes down on Tuesday's opening stage of the Three Days of De Panne as he felt his way back into action. He will be expected to assume the mantle of leadership for Sky at Paris-Roubaix – "It's more the one that suits me, I guess" – and he will likely set out from Bruges on Sunday in a supporting role at the Tour of Flanders, where E3 Harelbeke winner Michal Kwiatkowski and Paris-Nice winner Geraint Thomas will top the bill for the British team.
"Kwiatkowski showed the other day what he can do on these climbs, which is awesome and gives us more strength. Geraint is coming in too and he really wants to go for Flanders, so we're going to have a good strong team to support those guys," he said. "Luke [Rowe] was up there on Sunday as well, so that bodes well for this weekend."
In years past, Team Sky's Classics unit was often criticised for failing to add up the sum of its parts, with its low key showings on the first two Sundays in April placed in sharp contrast with the team's remarkable run of stage racing success.
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