Van Aert, Tratnik and De Lie, but no Van der Poel, Pedersen, or Pogacar: This is the preliminary start list for Omloop Het Nieuwsblad
Cycling
The Belgian cycling season will get underway in just two weeks, as is traditionally the case with the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad. While the season has already been in full swing for weeks in Australia, Asia, and southern European countries, the Omloop still marks the beginning of the classics for traditional cycling enthusiasts. What can we expect at the team presentation in Het Kuipke in Ghent?
Not a lot of men, that's for sure. Mathieu van der Poel has traditionally skipped the race after the cyclo-cross season, and we haven't seen Tadej Pogacar pass the Muur van Geraardsbergen and Bosberg in the past. The two men are not expected to start this season either. Mads Pedersen, for example, will also be absent during this year's Opening Weekend.
Wout van Aert will be present, as he was in 2024, although he will first ride in Spain (Clasica Jaén) and Portugal (Volta ao Algarve). Many riders will be coming to Belgium from that second race: Biniam Girmay (Intermarché-Wanty), Stefan Küng (Groupama-FDJ), Arnaud De Lie (Lotto) and defending champion Jan Tratnik (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe) are also planning to take that route.
Visma | Lease a Bike may no longer have last year's winner in its ranks, but it still has a lot of other good riders. In addition to Van Aert, Christophe Laporte, Per Strand Hagenes, Tiesj Benoot, Matteo Jorgenson, and Edoardo Affini are also noted. Dylan van Baarle is still uncertain after his crash in the Tour Down Under.
Remember that this is a provisional start list, which is still subject to change in many cases. There are still races in France, Spain, the United Arab Emirates, and Portugal, where anything can happen – both positive and negative – for the participating cyclists.
Provisional start list Omloop Het Nieuwsblad 2025
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Latest Comments
- Remco is still very young. And injuries can absolutely keep you from overdoing it and getting worse. The recent Remco accident didn't keep him from being able to ride a recumbent inside. Wout's knee is a different story thoughVeganpotter23-01-2025
- Van der Poel style is winning by a half a lap and leading the race from the end of the second lap.
Barnes127420-01-2025 - If she thinks talent alone will put her there she will not see many podium finishes much less a GC finish.....work as a team utilizing tactics to consistently be at the top.Germanrazor10-01-2025
- This was very informative! Luiz Antonio Duarte Ferreiraluizantonioduarteferreira02-01-2025
- Well explained, thanks for the clarity! Daniel DantasDanieldantas20-12-2024
- This is the kind of 'news' that belongs in a cheap tabloid. No matter how boring the offseason gets, nobody wants to read this.
santiagobenites19-12-2024 - I wish we could have seen him try. He'd absolutely get dropped before Pogi overtakes his domestiquesVeganpotter10-12-2024
- Talk is cheap! Next year barring crashes with a healthy team... all well be on track! Some need to talk to make a headline!mootman27-11-2024
- I do not see this event listed on HBO Max Sports Online? Can anyone confirm? Thanks!
MrYuck23-11-2024 - It seemed that he was focusing forward at the time of the crash, after seeing a quick video snippet. But one thing I think he should focus on more intently is breaking a bad habit he has, right now. And that is his constant looking over his shoulders. He does that so much, that I am very sure it is not good for him. Simply watch videos of the greats of CX and you will see very little of that constant looking over their shoulders. That is a behavior that betrays a bit of insecurity on his part. He shouldn't be so concerned, incessantly, about what is over his shoulder. He needn't worry they didn't all disappear. He neds to keep his focus more ahead of himself, and he needs to pay a bit more attention to himself, in a confident manner. It is very frustrating to watch, because it is apparent that he has a lot of potential, and is in much better shape thwan many of his competitors, but the mental game needs to be sharpened more, because that part of strategy plays a huge part in the final results
reemmo022-11-2024