Cycling: This coming weekend, the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne are the harbingers of the soon to start classic season. We look forward to a first showdown from Gilbert, Boonen, Kristoff and van Avermaet. For many fans and riders, the two Belgian one-day races are the right start to the cycling season.
Without wanting to ignore or downplay the sporting value of the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad (27.02.) or Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne (28.02.), the two Flemish one-day races are above all an essential form barometer for fans, drivers and teams alike at the start of the classic season. What can the competition do? Who trained well in winter? Who else has problems? These are the questions that everyone involved is hoping for answers to during the two races. It is also a kind of baptism of fire for the drivers and an acclimatization to the adverse conditions of the Central European climate in spring - the previous races all took place in warmer regions.
Kuurne and the Omloop starting point Gent are only 45km apart and so it is not surprising that we will see mostly the same starting field in both races - even if the profile and orientation are quite different. While the Omloop is more of a classic in mini format, sprinters also have a good chance of winning in Kuurne. The weather could once again tip the scales in both races: At the moment, however, it looks like cold but good conditions in Belgium: sunshine and -2°C are forecast.
Omloop Het Nieuwsblad
Date: Saturday, 27th February 2016
Length: 200,7km
Last year's winner: Ian Stannard
The route of the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad 2016 has only been changed in a few places compared to previous years. For example, the notorious Molenberg is missing from this year's event because the road is closed due to construction work. A total of 200 climbs await on the slightly more than 13km, the slipways that are characteristic of the classics: short, steep, technically demanding.
Last year's winner Ian Stannard, who beat the Etixx-Quick-Step phalanx in a sensational finish, decided to prepare for the classics differently this year and skipped Omloop and Kuurne.
Kuurne - Brussels - Kuurne
Date: Sunday, 28th of February 2016
Length: 200,4km
Last year's winner: Mark Cavendish
The route and the basic character of Kuurne - Brussels - Kuurne will not change much this year either: Eleven slipways await the riders, only two fewer than at the Omloop, but the last climb is already 54km before the finish line. This means that teams and sprinters still have enough time to organize themselves and get their riders in position – provided a strong breakaway group does not form beforehand and can save their lead to the finish. As so often in Belgium, the weather could also play a decisive role.
Unfortunately, André Greipel will miss the race after breaking his ribs in a crash on the penultimate stage of the Tour of Algarve – depending on how the race went, the 33-year-old would have had a good chance of winning.
Starting field and favorites
The starting field is largely the same for the two races due to the spatial and temporal proximity. The Movistar, Dimension Data, Cannondale, Lampre-Merida and Astana teams will not compete in either race, with Orica-GreenEDGE and Giant-Alpecin only competing in Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne. In addition to the remaining WorldTour teams, there are of course also numerous second division teams in the start lists - from a German point of view, Bora-Argon 18 and Team Stölting Service Group are the main focus here. While the pros from Bora-Argon 18 will be involved on both days and are already permanent guests at the highest level, the first real touchstone at this level awaits the drivers from Stölting Service Group at the Omloop.
At the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad on Saturday we can expect the first major showdown of the classic car specialists. BMC pros Greg van Avermaet and Philippe Gilbert are undoubtedly among the favourites, but Alexander Kristoff (Katusha) and Tom Boonen (Etixx – Quick-Step) will also want to have a say in the win. Also at the start is world road champion Peter Sagan, who on paper should be a great classic driver but has struggled on this terrain in the past. But maybe the knot will burst this year? The Slovak undoubtedly brings the necessary quality with him. It will also be exciting to see how Tony Martin (Etixx - Quick-Step) fares, who is making the classics a priority this season and depending on how the race goes, could become an important factor - including for his teammate Tom Boonen.
Things are a bit different at Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne. Last year's winner Mark Cavendish is not at the start and André Greipel is missing another strong sprinter. Alexander Kristoff should be at the top of your list: The Norwegian from the ranks of Katusha was already in excellent form in Oman and could show off his great qualities in the sprint in the flat final. With Nacer Bouhanni (Cofidis), Elia Viviani (Sky) and Caleb Ewan (Orica-GreenEDGE), three other sprint specialists are starting, but the classic terrain could cause bigger problems than Kristoff.
TV and live streaming
In terms of live images, things are looking rather bad for both races. On TV, only Eurosport broadcasts a repeat of the last 22 minutes from Kuurne - Brussels - Kuurne on Sunday at 00:2 p.m. (Eurosport 23) or 05:60 p.m. (Eurosport).
The situation is not necessarily better for the live streams either. Those who are interested could possibly get lucky with the guys from www.cyclingfans.com try.