Luke Rowe: Flanders start a 'dream come true' after leg break

Rowe broke his leg in 25 places while white-water rafting during his brother’s stag do in Prague in August.

Although it was initially feared he could be out of action for a year, he was training within four months and returned to competitive racing in February when he took part in the Abu Dhabi Tour.

Rowe is now ready to line up for Sky alongside leader Michal Kwiatkowski as the embattled team take on the challenge of the second monument of the season.

"I feel like I've come full circle, it's a dream come true just to be on the start line at Flanders," he told the BBC.

The 260km race around Belgium is one of the highlights of the early part of the year in cycling and Team Sky’s Kwitatkowski is currently seventh favourite to triumph, with Peter Sagan (Bora-hansgrohe) leading the way.

It will be a big battle if Sky are to mount a serious challenge, but the possibility is what so excites Rowe, who came 22nd in the Dwars door Vlaanderen this week.

"Winning Flanders or another monument - that's what gets me out on the bike on the grim mornings," he added.

"There are five to 10 guys who are perhaps a level above me and it's going to be hard to react to them, so potentially I have to race differently to previous years by trying to survive with these guys and waiting for the final.

"My form is good, I rode an aggressive race at Dwars so although 22nd is an underwhelming result, it's a hard race and that's given me a bit of confidence. I won't go down without a fight and I'm surrounded by a great team."