Domestiques are the unsung heroes in professional cycling and play an essential role that often gets overlooked. Christian Knees is one of the best in the business and will be performing that role when the cobbled Classics resume at E3 Harelbeke and Ghent-Wevelgem this week.

TeamSky.com quizzed the Germanto find out why some riders sacrifice their own chances in the service of others, and to get the inside line on how the Classics team is preparing ahead of a key block of racing.

"I'm feeling OK again now. I was struggling with a cold but have managed to make a full recovery and am coming into these races after a good block of training," he said.

"I'll be there primarily in a supporting role for our leaders. These races are so unpredictable though - things can change quickly so you have to be prepared for anything.

"At the start of the race it's my job to make sure the right breakaway goes, and chase it down if it's not to our liking. Sometimes it goes away quickly, other times it can take over an hour and that can mean a very hard start.

"Once the break has gone, me and the other domestiques then look after our leaders. We get them food and drink, pace them back to the peloton if they need to stop, and keep them well positioned. During the Classics we have to stay alert and make sure the race situation stays how we want it. Attacks can go at any time and it's our job to keep our leaders in contention. We keep an eye on what is going on and use our experience to constantly monitor the situation. We do that so our leaders don't have to. They can stay relaxed and save their energy for the finish.

"I enjoy doing it. Guys like Michal Kwiatkowski, Luke Rowe and Ian Stannard are all capable of winning these races, but they need people like me to back them up and I'm happy to do that. We race the Three Days of De Panne next week and I'll be given a bit more freedom there to go for my own result.

"There are many differences but basically, E3 Harelbeke has more of the short, sharp cobbled climbs in it, which makes it more selective. Ghent-Wevelgem has less cobbled climbs so it often ends in a bigger sprint.  

"E3 contains many of the same cobbled climbs - and always comes a few weeks before it - but that and Ghent-Wevelgem are very prestigious races in their own right. They are both part of the WorldTour and are historic races that any professional would want to win.

"Obviously, if you want to ride well at the Tour of Flanders though, it makes sense to ride these races. The cobbled Classics are different from any other race we'll do during the rest of the season and it's good to get used to the roads and the style of racing.

"They're more stressful and you need to build up that road knowledge beforehand. If you're not in the right place at the right time during those races it costs you a lot of energy."

Knees was one of only 39 riders to finish Ghent-Wevelgem last season.

"In hindsight it should probably have been cancelled from a safety point of view. I'm a bigger guy so wasn't as affected as some of the lighter guys were by the bad weather. I didn't take any risks that day, I rode on the front because I wanted to stay safe and I ended up finishing in the first group because I never gave up. I hope for better weather this time.

"I've always ridden them and always enjoyed them. The fans are special and there are always big crowds. They're good races and ones that suit me well."

Knees is confident in the Sky team for the race.

"Luke [Rowe] showed at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad that he's stepped up this season and is able to deliver. Ian [Stannard] has delivered before and could do so again. We're improving as a team every year in these races, and I hope we can do so again in 2016 and capture our first Monument at either the Tour of Flanders or Paris-Roubaix. That's the biggest thing we're missing on the Team Sky palmares.