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Hunt set for Flanders test

Image: Hunt: Feeling good

Jeremy Hunt is raring to get going at the Tour of Flanders on Sunday, even though he considers it the hardest race of the season.

Jeremy hails strength in depth

Jeremy Hunt is raring to get going at the Tour of Flanders on Sunday, even though he considers it the hardest race of the season. The 37-year-old has ridden 'De Ronde' many times during his long and accomplished career and believes it has an atmosphere unlike any other, which keeps him coming back year after year. Hunt is also hugely-impressed by the Classics squad Team Sky have assembled going into the race and will be doing all he can to help guide his team-mates into contention during the heart-pounding 258km of action. "I'm there primarily to support my team-mates," he told us. "My job will be to get them as near to the front as possible at all the critical times. It's going to be a bloody hard task and I consider this race my toughest of the year. "I'm feeling good though, and am hopefully finding my form at just the right time. I was playing catch-up a bit after I got sick at the Tour of Oman, but have been riding OK in my last few races. "I crashed at Gent-Wevelgem on Sunday, but that was unavoidable really because when I was attacking near the front of the bunch a guy fell right in front of me and I ended up going over my handlebars. "I only suffered cuts and bruises, but after I got back up the rest of the bunch had gone up the road so I decided to hit the team car and save myself for Flanders. "In the time since then I've been keeping my condition ticking over by going on some tough training rides in Girona, but from now on I'll ease up a bit until race day on Sunday. "The rest of the guys are all looking really strong, and although we haven't discussed team tactics in any great detail just yet, I'm guessing I'll be riding for Juan Antonio Flecha, Mathew Hayman, Geraint Thomas or Ian Stannard on the day. "We're in a great position as we have so many cards to play, and I think we demonstrated that at Gent-Wevelgem. We'd been planning to lead out G until a few of us crashed, but even when that happened Ian was right there and put in a great ride. It was just unlucky he got caught inside the final 200 metres. "Then you've got other Classics specialists in the team like Flecha and Hayman who always do well in these types of races, and they also proved their form at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad."

Focused

Hunt himself could easily be described as a Classics specialist, with podium spots at Dwars door Vlaanderen and Kuurne-Bruxelles-Kuurne among his lengthy palmarés. It is these one-day battles of attrition which provide the focus of his early-season calendar, and the Tour of Flanders is one race in particular which he holds in particularly high esteem. "The spring is about these four cobbled Classics for me," he added. "I love them each individually, but Flanders is definitely my favourite in terms of the crowds you get there - it's awesome. "The atmosphere is better than Roubaix because there are so many more people watching it on the side of the roads. They're drinking beer, having barbecues, and you can smell the burgers and alcohol all the way around. "I prefer Roubaix in terms of the actual racing though, because I go over flat pavé far easier than I do over the cobbled bergs. "I sometimes struggle on those hills at Flanders, and it's the Kruisberg that usually catches me out as opposed to the Koppenberg, which only requires a short, sharp effort."
Aiming for the top
The Koppenberg is one of the most iconic climbs in cycling and narrow sections at a 22% gradient have forced some big names to push their bikes over the summit in years gone by. Although Hunt has never had the indignity of doing that himself, he has come close, and is hoping he will not have to make his first full dismount on Sunday. "I have stopped on the Koppenberg before, but fortunately I managed to get going again," he smiled. "That is just about possible but it's dependant on your power and balance. "Some aren't so lucky though. I was watching them go up it on TV back in 2004 and saw one of my good friends Matt Wilson (then Française des Jeux and now Garmin-Cervelo) have to walk all the way up it from the bottom in his Australian champion's jersey "The cameras stayed on him for about five minutes as well, which was really amusing to see. Hopefully that won't be me on Sunday!"
  • We'll be publishing Hunt's TrainingPeaks files from the Tour of Flanders on Monday so be sure to check back then to see how he got on.

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