After a top result in Roubaix last year, Luke Rowe is Sky’s co-leader once again in the Hell of the North and his confidence is on a high after a massive ride in Flanders last week.

“I’m on a bit of a high at the moment – everything seems to be going well,” Rowe told Cyclingnews in Antwerp ahead of Scheldeprijs on Wednesday. “Roubaix’s the preferred race, it’s where my heart lies, I prefer it as a race and I think it suits me better as a rider.”

His fellow co-leader Ian Stannard says he is fresher than last year after skipping the opening weekend and hopes that will serve him well in Roubaix.

“I’m feeling fresher this year. I think I’m at the same standard, I just feel a bit fresher with it all,” Stannard told Cyclingnews. “I’m recovering a bit now. I was tired for the first few days (after Flanders) – it was a tough race – but I’m looking forward to Sunday now.”

Rowe is toying with the idea of attacking early in Roubaix, freely admitting he doesn’t think he is on a level with Sagan, Cancellara or Vanmarcke.

“I think the three guys who finished on the podium were outright the three strongest guys to be fair to them. So I learned that they’re strong, but that’s nothing I didn’t know before, so maybe on Sunday it’ll be a case of trying to get ahead of them, wait for them to come up to us. It’s so unpredictable, Roubaix; it’s so hard to make a plan and decide what you’re going to do. It’s a case of getting into that final 20, 30, 40 guys and playing it from there.”