Betting pool tips for the 2025 Cycling Classics | Strava KOM holders, rising talents (and their brothers), and "new" veterans

Spring is here. The classic specialists kick off their campaign on Saturday, March 1, with Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and wrap up on Sunday, April 27—King's Day—with Liège-Bastogne-Liège. Over these two months, we’ll undoubtedly witness bold attacks, tactical blunders, fierce battles, passion, and unfortunately, crashes. But we’ll also discover hidden gems, and IDLProCycling.com is here to highlight a few names to watch in the classics.

Laurence Pithie - Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe

One of last year’s breakout riders in the Opening Weekend was Laurence Pithie from Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe. The New Zealander impressed in Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne by holding his own against Wout van Aert, Tim Wellens, and Oier Lazkano, only to fall short on the final climb. A strong classics campaign and a transfer from Groupama-FDJ to Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe followed, where Pithie hopes to take the next step.

At the team’s first gathering, the Kiwi immediately showed what he's capable of. Alongside fellow powerhouses Oier Lazkano and the Van Dijke brothers—who opted for their preferred training block on Mount Teide and showed impressive numbers—Pithie reconned the finale of Omloop Het Nieuwsblad in December. There, he shattered Oliver Naesen’s Strava KOM on the Bosberg by four seconds. The most striking part? Pithie won’t even be racing the season opener, instead fully focusing on the three-week stretch from Milan-San Remo to Paris-Roubaix. And in those races, he just might make the leap to the level of a Mads Pedersen.

Per Strand Hagenes - Visma | Lease a Bike

At Visma | Lease a Bike, they’re relying on an experienced core of classics specialists this spring, featuring Wout van Aert, Dylan van Baarle, Christophe Laporte, Matteo Jorgenson, Tiesj Benoot, Victor Campenaerts, and Edoardo Affini. Among this seasoned group, the team is also banking on 21-year-old Norwegian Per Strand Hagenes, the junior world champion from Leuven 2021. In 2023, he already won three pro races as an U23 rider, earning himself a spot in Van Aert and Benoot’s high-altitude training camp ahead of the big races.

His unlucky streak began with a broken nose in the opening kilometers of the E3 Saxo Classic, but he bounced back in the fall. At the Renewi Tour, he finished third on the Muur behind Tim Wellens and Arnaud De Lie, and he placed fifth in Quebec. Over the winter, Hagenes has made another leap forward, and Van Aert—who has great confidence in the friendly Norwegian—has already voiced his support for him multiple times. With Van Baarle missing from Opening Weekend, Hagenes may well step into that role.

Joe Blackmore - Israel-Premier Tech

The Tour de l’Avenir winner is also lining up for Omloop Het Nieuwsblad. Joe Blackmore from Israel-Premier Tech is the ultimate all-rounder who already made waves in Brabantse Pijl last year as part of the U23 squad. A former mountain biker, Blackmore will be one of his team’s key riders for Omloop before shifting his focus to Strade Bianche.

After that, he plans to - so he told us in Spain -  tackle part of the Flemish classics campaign before continuing all the way to Liège-Bastogne-Liège, where he won the U23 edition last year. With so many race days ahead, he’s a strong pick for fantasy cycling games, especially considering that he doesn’t have to work for bigger leaders within his own team. Bonus tip: Keep an eye on another young star, a Movistar rider who recently won a stage in Ruta del Sol and finished fourth in the UAE Tour—like Blackmore, he was a U23 world champion in time trialing and is expected to make an impact in the Flemish classics.

Paul Magnier - Soudal Quick-Step

Paul Magnier needs no introduction for those who follow rising stars closely. The Frenchman, like Blackmore, comes from mountain biking but is an entirely different type of rider. While Blackmore won the Tour de l’Avenir, Magnier claimed the points classification at the Giro Next Gen—indicating that he’s more of a sprinter. He already proved his speed at the highest level last year.

Soudal Quick-Step may no longer have a marquee classics leader on paper, but within the team—and throughout the peloton—Magnier’s name is being written in bold letters. The Frenchman already won his first race of the season at Bessèges and prepared for Omloop in the Algarve. His spring calendar isn’t fully set yet, but don’t be surprised if he immediately steps onto the top step of the podium this weekend.

Vincenzo Albanese - EF Education-EasyPost

Some riders only start their first venture in Flanders at 27 years old. Take Vincenzo Albanese, for example. After seven years in the depths of Italian ProContinental racing, he landed at Arkéa - B&B Hotels last year. The fast Italian, a top-ten specialist by trade, was given a chance in the two toughest Flemish races: the E3 Saxo Classic and the Tour of Flanders.

In Harelbeke, he finished ninth in an incredibly tough edition, trailing behind all the major names of last spring. Then, in Flanders, he held on until the final, before a crash robbed him of a top result. If luck had been on his side, it might not have been his surprising teammate and fellow countryman Luca Mozzato standing on the podium, but Albanese instead. For 2025, he has embarked on a new adventure with EF Education-EasyPost, which could give him even more opportunities to shine.

Quinn Simmons - Lidl-Trek

Blindly focusing on opening weekend is always a risk, as there are plenty of races to come afterward that matter just as much for fantasy cycling games. Lidl-Trek boasts a strong classics squad, featuring Mads Pedersen, Jasper Stuyven, Jonathan Milan, and Mathias Vacek. The latter—a powerful Czech rider—told us during the Volta ao Algarve that he’s targeting opening weekend as a major goal. Keep an eye on him on Saturday and Sunday.

Next Saturday, Strade Bianche takes center stage, where Vacek will share the team leadership with Quinn Simmons—a race the American has been laser-focused on for years. After a heavy crash in the 2023 Tour de France, Simmons endured a difficult season, but his form last autumn was already promising. He snatched the Cauberg KOM from Philippe Gilbert—hello, Amstel Gold Race?—and finished in the top ten at the World Championships. This weekend, Simmons—who has already clocked nearly 7,000 km this year under the alias ‘Ricky Bobby’ on Strava and has been training in an altitude tent—will kick off his season at the Ardèche and Drôme Classics.

Mike Teunissen - Astana Qazaqstan Team 

For those who appreciate puns (in Dutch), take a look at the Strava pages of Mike Teunissen and Cees Bol. The Dutch riders spent the past weeks training in Tenerife, and their ride names did not disappoint: "KoffieTeide" (CoffeeTeide), "Goed werk heeft Teide nodig" (Good work needs Teide), and "Koninginnenrit, hare majesTeide" (Queen stage, Her MajestyTeide). Three weeks at altitude on the Canary Islands is no joke, but their hard work is about to be tested.

From Tenerife, they head straight to Gent, where Teunissen kicks off an intense spring campaign. Alongside Davide Ballerini, Alberto Bettiol, and Max Kanter, he’s expected to rack up crucial points to help keep Astana in the WorldTour. And let’s not forget: Teunissen won the Geraardsbergen stage at the 2023 Renewi Tour, finished fifth at the European Championships last year, and placed fourth in Paris-Tours in 2023.

Markus Hoelgaard - Uno-X

A new Toms Skujins always emerges every season. Someone who has been present in the finals of major races for years but then suddenly finds the secret sauce and pops off. Last year, Lidl-Trek’s Skujins was a cheap points goldmine, much like Valentin Madouas, Fred Wright, and Neilson Powless in previous years—riders who can go to battle in almost any race scenario.

At Uno-X, they’re still fighting for points, and Markus Hoelgaard could be a key weapon. The Norwegian broke through with Uno-X in 2021, competing in the finals of races like E3 Saxo Classic, the European Championships, and the World Championships. However, his two-year stint at Trek didn’t go as planned due to setbacks. Last season, he returned to Uno-X, consistently finishing between 20th and 35th in spring classics. After a strong 14th-place finish at the 2023 World Championships, Uno-X has elevated him to a leadership role for the 2024 spring classics. Hoelgaard has already made an impressive start to the season, finishing third in Trofeo Calvià (Mallorca) and playing a key role in Ruta del Sol. Notably, Hoelgaard isn’t just a classics specialist—he can also handle hilly races, making him a solid one-two punch alongside Andreas Kron for Uno-X.

Milan Fretin - Cofidis

Sorry, sometimes we have to go with the obvious picks too—to maintain some credibility, after all. Cofidis sprinter Milan Fretin was already on the radar of true cycling fans last year, but over the winter—just like his team—he took another step forward, securing victories in the Clásica Almería and the Volta ao Algarve.

Fretin is a fast rider who can handle a hill, making him a competitor capable of racking up plenty of points—UCI points, to be exact, which are crucial for his team. After his recent wins, Cofidis has full confidence in Fretin as he heads into a packed spring campaign.

Fabio Christen - Q36.5

Speaking of major victories in Spain, while his younger brother Jan—the standout talent of the moment—added yet another success in the Algarve, 22-year-old Fabio also claimed his first professional win at the Vuelta a Murcia. The Swiss rider, who had already been stacking up strong results last fall, outpaced a host of XDS-Astana and UAE Emirates-XRG riders to take the win. However, just two days later, he crashed in Clásica Jaén, forcing him to miss the Ruta del Sol.

Christen is now back in the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad lineup, forming part of the squad built around Tom Pidcock, where he could even act as the Brit’s lightning rod. And if Pidcock skips the Flemish races after Omloop—as is likely—Christen may get the chance to ride for himself alongside Frederik Frison.

Read also

"Tadej, listen to me: Don’t risk your life!" – How Mohoric made Pogacar hesitate just enough in Milan-Sanremo

Van Aert, Tratnik and De Lie, but no Van der Poel, Pedersen, or Pogacar: This is the preliminary start list for Omloop Het Nieuwsblad

Little understanding for Van Aert’s race program choice: "I think you should always do San Remo, Flanders, and Roubaix"

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