Tim Elverson has spoken of his excitement as he prepares to send his Canyon Eisberg troops into battle at the Tour de Yorkshire.
The sports director arrived in Leeds with a powerful seven-man squad for the four-day UCI 2.1 race, which begins in Beverley on Thursday.
Chris Opie sprinted to third place on the opening stage last term, while Harry Tanfield and Dexter Gardias each clinched combativity jerseys in a race to remember for the team.
All three return this year, as does James Lowsley-Williams and Max Stedman, who was 23rd on general classification in 2017.
Andrew Tennant and debutant Alex Paton complete the line-up. And Elverson is relishing another big opportunity for the team. He said:
“We are super excited to be back in Yorkshire. This race was the catalyst for putting us on the map last season and showed people what we are capable of.
“This time we have a few good options and one eye on the general classification. We love the crowd and love the atmosphere, it is a real highlight of our expanding calendar.”
The Tour de Yorkshire, now expanded to include a fourth day, covers a total distance of 701.5km.
The race begins with a 182km stage from Beverley to Doncaster before a 149km scrap from Barnsley to Ilkley on Friday.
Stage three sees the peloton dash from Richmond to Scarborough, where Opie was third behind World Tour stars Dylan Groenewegen and Caleb Ewan 12 months ago.
The finale, on Sunday, begins in Halifax and covers 189.5km before the champion is crowned in Leeds.
Click here to read our guide to the opening stage of the 2018 Tour de Yorkshire.
