Feverish? Hot under the collar? Aching arms and legs? Hopefully it’s just because you’ve completed a recon ride over the cobbles and are all set for the openingsweekend. The spring classics start this weekend with the Omloop this Saturday, a tour of Flanders.
The Tour of Flanders might not visit the Kapelmuur in Geraardsbergen in 2020 following a row over money. Apparently the race has been charging the town money and now local politicians want to spend the money elsewhere.
La Doyenne gets a facelift with the oldest race on the calendar getting a new finish, gone is up the uphill finish in Ans and now there’s a flat finish in downtown Liège.
It’s Deceuninck-Quickstep versus the rest again this Sunday as the home team take on all comers, including Peter Sagan, Greg Van Avermaet, Wout van Aert and Oliver Naesen. It’s live on TV from start to finish and takes plance in front of an estimated million of roadside fans, an event of national importance to the Belgians.
Seen as revenge race to correct any mistakes in the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne is perhaps the most sprint-friendly cobbled classic after the Scheldeprijs these days. Who can stop Dylan Gronewegen from a repeat win?
Zdeněk Štybar makes his move in the final approach to Ninove just after Greg Van Avermaet has closed down a big attack from Tim Wellens leaving the pair in the red. It was the final move of a busy race with attacks flying throughout the final two hours.
It’s Friday and here comes the openingsweekend. No more desert(ed) highways, the spring classics season begins with the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, for years a rival to the Tour of Flanders and now more of a partner event, a curtain-raiser to the spring classics season. Here’s a preview of the Omloop, look out for the Kuurne preview later this weekend.
A solo win for Bob Jungels, another team win for Quick Step. He took flight just over the top of the Côte de la Roche aux Faucons and nobody else could or would go with him.
A duel between Alejandro Valverde and Julian Alaphilippe? The two have been rivals in the Ardennes ever since the 2015 edition and now Alaphilippe has to cope with the pressure and expectation. Meanwhile there’s a long list of contenders and pretenders, ranging from guest appearances by the likes of Vincenzo Nibali to those looking to salvage something from their spring like Michał Kwiatkowski
Julian Alaphilippe surges past Jelle Vanendert with Alejandro Valverde several metres behind, in the picture but for once out of contention. The Flèche has a new winner in Julian Alaphilippe although almost an old hand given he’s been on the podium here twice before. It was a good edition of a race that had become cycling’s equivalent of a repeat edition.