With their confidence boosted this season by victories in the Milan-San Remo and Scheldeprijs races, but a disappointing result in the Tour of Flanders, Team HTC-Highroad's Classics riders are aiming to leave their mark again in Sunday's Paris-Roubaix 2011.

"We've got three outsiders for this race. Mark Cavendish, Bernie Eisel and Matthew Goss, but we've seen so far this year that the outside favorites have been doing really well," Team HTC-HighRoad sports director Allan Peiper told Roadcycling.com and our mobile sister site Roadcycling.mobi.

"Matt (Goss) wasn't a favorite at Milan-San Remo 2011 and he won it, and in the Tour of Flanders last week two outsiders came first and second, so who knows if that couldn't happen again on Sunday?"

"I think most teams realize they can't wait for too long because they won't have such a big chance, which means they want an open race."

"The weather is going to be warm and dry, so Paris-Roubaix will be a fast course. And then they've added in a new cobbled section after the tough one through the Arenberg Forest, which will make it much harder for the bunch to regroup."

"My feeling is it'll be anything but predictable."

Matt Goss (Team HTC-Highroad). Photo Fotoreporter Sirotti.

The winner in the Scheldeprijs on Wednesday, HTC-HighRoad rider Mark Cavendish will be making his debut on Sunday in the Paris-Roubaix.

"He had a good ride in Flanders, and after winning on Wednesday he's obviously in good shape."

"He'll be looking after Bernie Eisel as best he can, but he ticks a lot of boxes to make a good Roubaix rider in his own right, too," Peiper concluded.

Team HTC-Highroad roster for the 2011 Paris-Roubaix:
Bernhard Eisel (Aut); Matthew Goss (Aus); Mark Cavendish (GB); John Degenkolb (Ger); Lars Bak (Den); Alex Rasmussen (Den); Matthew Brammeier (Ire); Gatis Smukulis (Lat).