The 2025 cobbled Classics season began at the weekend as the men's peloton headed to Belgium to take on Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne.
The races lie a long way away from the biggest goals of spring – the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix – but serve to provide early bragging rights for the riders and teams who will do battle on the cobbles during the next six weeks, including the next stop at Ename Samyn Classic (formerly Le Samyn).
Søren Wærenskjold (Uno-X Mobility) and Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck) took home the spoils on Saturday and Sunday, but Tuesday brings a second chance for some of those riders who missed out on glory.
The 1.1-ranked Ename Samyn Classic runs over 199km of partly cobbled roads in Wallonia rather than Flanders and will be the next meeting point in the cobbled Classics calendar before the main stretch of races begins later in March.
Mathieu van der Poel's unexpected season debut has grabbed the headlines as he takes on the race for the first time since 2021. All eyes will be on the former world champion as he gets his road season under way for Alpecin-Deceuninck.
Several other top riders will be taking on the race between Quaregnon and Dour, too, including Soudal-QuickStep's young Classics promise Paul Magnier.
The 20-year-old could be the next shining light of spring for the Belgian team, which has turned into something of an also-ran on the cobbles in recent years. He finished second at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, just short of Wærenskjold in the finishing sprint, and will be hoping for more success on Tuesday.
"Second place is a bit frustrating, especially as I was so close, but at the end of the day, it’s a podium in my first cobbled Classic," Magnier said, reflecting on his strong Omloop debut.
"So, at the same time, I am happy with this result after a hard race and an equally hard sprint in the headwind. It’s a good result for us and for our confidence to kick off the Classics.
"Now I will focus on Le Samyn next week and hopefully I will be in the position to fight for a good result also there."
Another rider who will be aiming for a result is Lotto's Arnaud De Lie. The 22-year-old Belgian made his mark on the Classics with a second place on his Omloop debut two years ago, but this time around he could only finish 85th as teammate Brent Van Moer scored Lotto's best result in fourth place.
De Lie suffered a broken wheel at a pivotal moment on Saturday and would later fall victim to another mechanical, necessitating a bike change. He didn't ride Kuurne, and now Le Samyn provides another chance to add to his palmarès before he heads off to training camp before Milan-San Remo and the Flanders Classics.
"In the sprint I think something was definitely possible for me, but I just wasn't there," De Lie said after Omloop. "That's also the sport. I was in a bloc. For me personally it wasn't good, but we have to stay positive. There are still some great races to come.
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