Taylor Phinney has had to withdraw from tomorrow’s Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and his place on the Cannondale-Drapac team has been taken by Ryan Mullen.
The American rider has been forced out of the race due to a knee injury. He tweeted earlier: “Will not be racing Omloop tmrw. Tweaked my knee yesterday before the recon. Back on ice like the old days. Definitely bummed.”
Ryan Mullen will now take his place. The former Irish champion had been scheduled to just race in Sunday’s Kuurne-Bruxelles-Kuurne, but will now line up in both races. It will mark Mullen’s debut in the Belgian race.
Phinney finished seventh in 2014 at Omloop and tomorrow would have been his first cobbled classic in Cannondale-Drapac colours.
Sep Vanmarcke will be amongst the favourites for the race, having won it back in 2012 and the Belgian has also finished on the podium at Ghent-Wevelgem, Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix in the past few years.
The riders will face thirteen climbs en route to the finish in Ghent. Amongst the climbs they will tackle in the 198-kilometre race are the Taaienberg, Kruisberg, Molenberg and the Muur van Geraardsbergen.
Cannondale-Drapac for 2017 Omloop Het Nieuwsblad
Paddy Bevin
Kristijan Koren
Sebastian Langeveld
Ryan Mullen
Tom Scully
Sep Vanmarcke
Tom Van Asbroeck
Dylan Van Baarle
