Britain's Ian Stannard battled to a superb third place in atrocious conditions at Kuurne-Bruxelles-Kuurne in West Flanders.

The Team Sky rider was part of a three-man breakaway along with Dutch pair Bobbie Traksel (Vacansoleil) and Rick Flens (Rabobank), with the trio going clear of the field at around 60km out.

They worked well together and had opened up a lead of just under a minute heading into the second of two closing 13.5km laps around the town centre.

Stannard's gutsy ride saw him repeatedly attack in the final six kilometres but Traksel and Flens were able to cover his moves and a burst of acceleration with 100 metres to go from Traksel settled the issue on the Brugsesteenweg.

Flens held on for second, with Stannard a close-up third in the 194km race which took place in driving rain and strong winds. Hayden Roulsten (HTC-Columbia) led home the chasers in a distant fourth place.

"That was absolutely brilliant. I'm just over the moon with that result. Getting a third place in a race as important as Kuurne is just so amazing," said a delighted Stannard afterwards.

His podium finish rounded off a stunning weekend in Belgium for Team Sky following Juan Antonio Flecha's victory in Omloop Het Nieuwsblad on Saturday.

Battling the elements

And it was achieved in incredibly testing conditions as Senior DS Scott Sunderland explained, saying: "It rained all day - it just never stopped - and the winds were around 50-60km/h and at times up to 80km/h.

"The wind-chill factor was just crazy and Ian couldn't rip the top off his gels he was so cold while Mathew Hayman, our other rider to finish, couldn't get food out of his pocket.

"It would have been crazy for our other riders to have continued in those conditions as it was 'job done' in terms of getting Ian to the front."

And Sunderland was full of admiration for what Stannard achieved, adding: "It was a fantastic ride. He's a big, strong lad who was super-motivated after Saturday and he did everything right to get on the podium.

"He was the engine in that breakaway and just needs a little bit more experience in the sprint finish which will come with time - I'm sure he's going to be the next big British classics rider."

Future looks bright

Stannard's performance capped off a great couple of days for Team Sky and Sunderland feels his men have put down a real marker, saying: "This weekend marked the opening of the classics season and it was super-important for us as the big teams and big stars were here.

"We're really happy with how it all went, everyone kept focussed on the plan. It was a great team effort by all the staff, not just the riders, as there's so much that goes into it which isn't always obvious.

"We know where we are now and are looking forward to coming back here for all the big races this spring."