The cycling virus can spread wildly again from Saturday. The Flemish cycling spring also gets underway with the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne. Christophe Vandegoor and José De Cauwer count down in Sporza Daily.
1. Has anything changed on the Omloop route?
Christophe Vandegoor: “No, the basics remain the same with the Molenberg as the gateway to the final. For the time being, the wind is forecast from the southwest, which will blow in favor of a large part of the final. During that long stretch after the Bosberg ( more than 10 kilometers) to the finish, the wind is then diagonally from behind. That can play a role.”
José De Cauwer: “The nature of the race remains unchanged, which means that the weather forecasts will indeed play a greater role than any minor adjustments. You have to be there on the Molenberg (40 km from the finish). Anyone who misses the train there , it is still difficult to put things right.”
2. Will Visma-Lease a Bike be the strongest block, just like last year?
Christophe Vandegoor: “Without a doubt. I see a parallel with Wout van Aert with 2022. Then he also qualified for the Cyclo-cross World Championships in the US and won the Omloop, even though that was his first race at the time. I am not saying anything new by saying say he is the top favorite.”
“For the rest, it is a very strong team with well-known names and also newcomer Matteo Jorgenson, one of the best transfers. They will have to carry the course, but they will not turn their backs on that.”
José De Cauwer: “They have the better riders, but there is a mark on the bodywork due to the loss of Nathan Van Hooydonck. He knows these races so well and is at home here. Do not underestimate his absence, although the team is wide enough to accommodate that.”
“There are of course still teams, but Visma-Lease a Bike seems better equipped to me. Let’s say that they hold the key for 75 percent. They will determine what happens.”
Visma-Lease a Bike has the better riders, but there is a mark on the bodywork due to the loss of Nathan Van Hooydonck. Don’t underestimate his absence.
Joseph De Cauwer
3. Mads Pedersen is missing at Lidl-Trek. Understandable?
Christophe Vandegoor: “They still have impressive players with ex-winner Jasper Stuyven in the lead. Enthusiastic as he is, he will once again want to live up to his status as leader. In recent years he has been overtaken somewhat, but make no mistake: Stuyven is there always there in the spring. He is continuously present. They also have Jonathan Milan, among others. If all goes well, they should and can put their foot next to that of Visma-Lease a Bike.”
José De Cauwer: “You just see it more and more. As Flemish people, we think that everyone will ride the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad. That makes sense to us, but that time is long gone. It is à la tête du client. we do it. All the good riders together in the same race, that will only happen a few times a year.”
“The major races are almost all won by the same riders. In those teams, the opportunities are limited for the riders who are just below the leaders. If someone like Mads Pedersen is missing, it is up to the others to score.”
Mads Pedersen has already won 6 times this season, but is one of the big absentees.
4. No Mathieu van der Poel at Alpecin-Deceuninck, but Jasper Philipsen. What does his first race bring?
Christophe Vandegoor: “I can’t properly assess Jasper Philipsen at the moment. I suspect that he will have other classics in his head. He has never really performed well in the Omloop in recent years.”
José De Cauwer: “It is still early in the season. This Omloop will be his first race. He should already be 100 percent on Saturday, which should not actually be the case, because then we will have to wait more than a month for what is yet to come. It would not be wise Being good, yes, but where do you compete against men like Van Aert who have already raced? That will be a problem, I think.”
I suspect that Jasper Philipsen is more concerned with other classics than with this Omloop.
Christophe Vandegoor
5. Soudal-Quick Step no longer has the appearance it did in its best years
Christophe Vandegoor: “I still think their team is impressive. It is their strongest possible block. Julian Alaphilippe has to show that he is still a top driver, Kasper Asgreen showed in the Tour that he has not forgotten winning and Yves Lampaert is racing always.”
“I’m curious to see how they approach it. In their tactics – attacking from afar – Soudal – Quick Step has been surpassed. It has been 2022 since (Jakobsen in Kuurne) that they have won a cobbled classic, but I expect a lot from them. As a Flemish cobblestone team, we cannot afford not to participate in the final.”
José De Cauwer: “There are question marks. Their leaders are still of the age where they should be able to do it, but are they eligible against Van Aert? If they are at the same level, it could be a tough team.”
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6. Arnaud De Lie came 2nd last year and will want to score one place better this year
Christophe Vandegoor: “There is sometimes a gap between wanting and being able to. Last year Arnaud De Lie had already won 3 times before the Omloop, but now his first days of racing were less good. And that is putting it mildly.”
“He was the moral winner last year, but on Saturday they start as underdogs. That’s what Lotto – Dstny says himself. De Lie has had a very tough altitude training period with a lot of training kilometers. Either he drives the tiles off the roof, or he is “He is still fine-tuning. After his first matches, I do not indicate him as a top favorite.”
José De Cauwer: “Other riders would be happy with a 2nd place at that age, but De Lie is born for more. Just because you came 2nd last year doesn’t mean you will come 1st this year. That’s how it works “It’s not. De Lie has trained really hard in an atypical way with a lot of elevation gain. I saw him rake in the gravel race in Jaen. We are more than a week further: I’m curious.”
Arnaud De Lie came 2nd in Ninove last year.
7. Which outsiders should we mention?
Christophe Vandegoor: “Pay attention to Tim Wellens, who has already finished in the top 5 in the Omloop 3 times. I also include men like Stefan Küng, Matej Mohoric who has already won and also note the atypical Spaniard Oier Lazkano. I am curious about Biniam Girmay and after his victory in an MTB race and his performance in the Algarve, I think Tom Pidcock is one of my top favorites.”
José De Cauwer: “You are stuck with Visma-Lease a Bike. Which race can still be disrupted and end in a surprise? That team controls the course and determines what happens. Try as If you want to get down with a lesser team. Then you actually have to work together with different teams, which will not happen.”
Oier Lazkano dried everyone off last Monday in the Spanish Strade Bianche.
8. Who are you watching in Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne?
Christophe Vandegoor: “Across from the Omloop, Visma-Lease a Bike will replace Edoardo Affini with Per Strand Hagenes. Radio Peloton says we have to keep an eye on him. It should not be surprising if he turns out like Tiesj Benoot.”
“I also look with suspicion at Luke Lamperti, the fast man from Soudal-Quick Step. That strong boy is a type of sprinter who can grow like Tom Boonen, without giving him that label. I also wonder how Girmay and Gerben Thijssen relate to each other at Intermarché-Wanty. Who is allowed to sprint?”
José De Cauwer: “If it comes to a sprint, we will not see a group of 80 or 90 riders. Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne has the name of a sprint race, but that is not always correct. The winner is usually a big name.”
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2024-02-20 14:59:00
#raking #Lie #Philipsen #atypical #Spaniard #positions #Omloop #Kuurne
