The Omloop Het Nieuwsblad sees Team Sky's riders take on their first semi-classic of the season and this race is definitely not for the faint-hearted. If past years are anything to go by, they are in for a tough day around East Flanders.

Here we take a look at the 204km route the riders will face in what promises to be a thrilling day's racing.

The peloton rolls out of Ghent and it's plain sailing over flat terrain for the first 70km as they head east towards Lokeren (20km) before turning in a southerly direction all the way down to Horebeke. Breakaway attempts are likely to come thick and fast in this opening section as riders attempt to gain whatever advantage they can before the action really begins to hot up. Once in Horebeke, the guys will be faced with the first of 16 narrow cobbled sections - this one 2km in length - which leads them straight onto the first of 12 short, sharp climbs at Leberg. This rises up to 100m with a average gradient of 10% and from then on the route is unrelenting with six equally sapping ascents in the space of 32km as they travel into Geraardsbergen (109km).

Two more cobbled sections follow as the road heads back west towards Everbeek (122km) and looming large is the biggest climb of the day at Pottelberg (132km). This spike might only ramp up to 150m, but with an average gradient of 11%, it will definitely get the leg muscles pumping. From then on the riders or on the cobbles more than they are off them, with five further climbs coming over the next 30km before the road eventually flattens out as they enter back into Ghent for what should be a fascinating finale.