In Belgium, Omloop Het Nieuwsblad is the subsequent greatest Classic after the Tour of Flanders, however just because it is the primary one of many yr.
Everybody may be very keen to observe this race on TV, and it helps, too, that again within the day, Omloop was once the primary bike race for all the massive names, so everyone was enthusiastic about how their favorite rider was going to carry out.
Now as everyone begins in January, it is a bit totally different, besides in Belgium, the newspapers are stuffed with articles in regards to the Classics, in regards to the Classics groups, about if sure groups have robust sufficient domestiques to assist the massive names, about who’s going to carry out properly.
Everybody has a concept about the perfect groups and the perfect ways which is one thing you do not see occurring, for instance, for the E3 Saxo Classic or Gent-Wevelgem. It’s just for Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and Tour of Flanders that they go loopy like this within the Belgian newspapers.
Omloop can be a really arduous race to foretell. If you take a look at the previous couple of editions, a number of of the riders who received Omloop have been probably not the workforce leaders. Last yr it was Jan Tratnik for instance, who received from a domestique function.
So in the event that they win, it simply means this workforce’s domestiques will probably be at a really excessive degree for the entire Classics season. And I might anticipate a powerful rider to win, however not one of many leaders. It’s a bit too early to be at a extremely good degree as a result of in the event that they win they need to stick with it for 5 – 6 weeks, which is doable however they would favor to be at their greatest at the start of April.
If a high rider wins, it is as a result of they’re such good riders: Wout van Aert, say, or Mathieu van der Poel, if he have been racing, might win Omloop in a dash. But I do not see them dominating like they do within the Ronde and Paris-Roubaix.
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For Lotto and all of the Belgian groups, in any case, after the primary weekend of the season, they will have the worldwide end result from the 2 races, and if you do not have a podium from Opening Weekend, it is a actually unhealthy begin and the sponsors already beginning to get nervous. But you probably have a win, which means your Classics season is already made and the sponsors are already very blissful.
I do know this from when Arnaud de Lie obtained second for Lotto within the 2023 Omloop. Before that, we hadn’t had a run of excellent ends in Opening Weekend, and I might see the workforce supervisor and the sports activities administrators have been getting a bit nervous as a result of we did not have that end result, the sponsors weren’t blissful and everyone was watching.
Then when Arnaud obtained on the rostrum, out of the blue all the pieces modified, everyone was extra relaxed, now they have been all saying we might have a very good Classics season.
I do know that Arnaud desires to win, but when he will get a top-three end result, he’ll already be very blissful. And if he is not up there on Saturday then a high three on Sunday in Kuurne will already make the weekend a bit higher.
All the eyes, although, are on Saturday, which is a bit more durable, and which can say extra about riders’ situation than Sunday.
On Sunday if there isn’t any wind and it is probably not wet or chilly, there might be a bunch dash of 100 guys. On Saturday even in the perfect of climate situations and with none wind, I do not see a giant group of riders sprinting for the victory.
The climate is all the time a extremely massive issue at Omloop and that is one cause why it’s very totally different to what’s come earlier than within the season. You can win your races in UAE and the Algarve, but when on the day of Omloop, it is two levels and raining, no person will be ready for this.
Omloop is completely totally different in different methods too, proper all the way down to demanding a unique sort of effort in comparison with these early-season races. Omloop is 120 kilometres of full-gas racing, combating for each sector or each climb. You cannot actually practice for this, since you simply do not have races the identical as Omloop earlier than.
Most of the races they’re doing are what we name spielerei [childsplay] like they’re nonetheless taking part in a bit of bit and simply testing the legs right here or there. Then from Omloop onward, daily in Belgium is similar, with races someplace. But Omloop is the primary time the massive groups can check their domestiques, the setups, the wheels, the tyres, the best way that they select their lineups, their ways, all the pieces: all the remainder is definitely simply kid’s play as compared.
So it is good to win earlier than Omloop, however for the individuals in Belgium Omloop is the primary actual race and all the remainder beforehand is simply coaching: that is how they see it at the very least.
The actuality is definitely totally different, they trip arduous in Valencia and UAE, and I do know they went very quick within the Tour of Oman this yr as properly. But in Belgium – that is simply not the identical.
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