Michael Matthews (Sunweb) will start his 2018 season at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad as he continues to explore his capabilities on the cobbles, although he will postpone debut rides at the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix for at least another season.
The Australian has begun each of the past three seasons at Paris-Nice in early March, but will kick off his 2018 campaign a week earlier than normal as he makes his maiden appearance in Belgian cycling's Opening Weekend.
As in recent years, Matthews will build up to his first race of the season with a lengthy stint of altitude training in February, though this time around his pre-season camp will take place in Sierra Nevada rather than in South Africa.
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"Tom [Dumoulin] went to Sierra Nevada this year and he really liked it. I've never really been before but we'll see how that goes," Matthews said at the Sunweb team presentation in Berlin on Thursday.
"Then I'll start with Nieuwsblad. In South Africa, it can be 30 degrees and it could be hard to come back to the cold of the Classics. In Sierra Nevada, it's also cold, so maybe that will work a bit better as preparation."
Although he will face riders whose seasons will begin in Australia in ten days' time, Matthews is hopeful he can hit the ground running on the revamped Omloop course, which mirrors the old finale of the Tour of Flanders with the climbs of the Muur and the Bosberg preceding a finish in Meerbeke.
Taking aim at the Ardennes Classics
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