On Thursday morning, just as the team was leaving for the GP Pino Cerami race, Baden Cooke told Barloworlds sports director Valerio Tebaldi that he preferred not to race so that he could train alone and focus on Paris-Roubaix. Tebaldi is an experienced sports director who knows how to understand and trust his riders. He told Cooke: "Baden, if you feel this is the best thing for you, I've no problem about you missing the race."

Cooke has been thinking about Paris-Roubaix for at least a year and has always found extra motivation for the spring classics in northern Europe. His goal is to be in the thick of the action on Sunday, knowing that a great ride will lead to a great result. Cooke is convinced he can do well and Team Barloworld believes in him while also having at least three other riders who can do well on the pave. The problem is to understand just how well Cooke can do on Sunday after his mixed performance in last weekend's Tour of Flanders and his better ride in Wednesday's Ghent-Wevelgem.

"We saw two very different performances from Baden in the Tour of Flanders," Barloworlds team manager Claudio Corti explains. "Until the 200 km point, Cooke looked good and was always in the right place at the right time. Then suddenly the lights went out and Baden didn't get the result he deserved and we'd all hoped for."

The reasons for the disappointment include a bike change during the race and a back problem. "There are definitely some improvements to be made to Baden's position on the bike," Corti explains. "We've already started to work on it and things are getting better. I think the biggest problem at the Tour of the Flanders was that Cooke didn't eat enough and ate at the wrong time. When he ran out of energy and tried to resolve the situation, it was far too late."

Hopefully the lessons learnt will be useful at Paris-Roubaix: on the cobbles it is important to keep the bike under control and eating can often be a problem.

Patrick Calcagni boosted everybody's moral at Team Barloworld for Sunday by winning the GP Pino Cerami race on Thursday. It was the Swiss rider's first victory in Team Barloworld's red jersey and came thanks to a impressive team performance. "I don't win a lot and who knows when it'll happen again, so please take a lot of photographs," Calcagni joked to the photographers at the finish. "I have to admit that I've felt good recently and I'm happy to have won for both myself and for the team. I'm convinced we can do well at Paris-Roubaix."

Robert Hunter is hoping Calcagni is right. He has struggled in recent weeks but was strong at the GP Pino Cerami and was in the long breakaway that helped set up Calcagni for his victory. "Rob has been a bit ill recently," explains Tebaldi. "He had a temperature before coming to Belgium and has had some stomach problems here. However he's been working hard and we're convinced he'll be in form soon. Perhaps he already is..."

Team Barloworld's fourth rider for the cobbles is Paolo Longo Borghini. He was the best rider in the Tour of Flanders and impressed at both Gent-Wevelgem and the GP Pino Cerami. "My role is to help the team leaders but when I'm on form I know I can also try and stay with the leaders," the Italian said.

Chris Froome, Daryl Impey, Carlo Scognamiglio and Marco Corti complete the Team Barloworld line-up for Paris-Roubaix. The team is motivated to do well after winning two races during their long stay in northern Europe and are quietly hoping for a prestigious third win.

Barloworld roster for Paris - Roubaix 2008: Baden Cooke, Patrick Calcagni, Robert Hunter, Paolo Longo Borghini, Chris Froome, Daryl Impey, Carlo Scognamiglio and Marco Corti