'This is the first test' – Cobbled classics season starts at Omloop and Kuurne
'It gives you a sense of where everyone's form and condition is at'
The Opening Weekend of racing at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne heralds the start of the Belgian racing season and, with it, something of a reset following the warm weather starters in January and February.
The riders who took the start of Omloop Het Nieuwsblad in Gent this morning will face off again and again at the spring Classics over the coming months, taking on the same cobbles and hills of Flanders in the lead-up to the Monuments of the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix.
While the likes of the Tour Down Under, the Middle Eastern races, and the Volta ao Algarve are no longer the 'training races' they may have been a few decades ago, the atmosphere, the racing, and the attention are all amped up as racing begins in Belgium.
"You can't compare them," Bahrain Victorious racer Fred Wright told Cyclingnews outside Gent's famous 't Kuipke velodrome on Saturday. "You can only compare how the legs were in those last races. This is a different kettle of fish.
"I know I was going well in Valencia but the Classics are special. This is the first test, really, of how we're doing. I'm really excited. I sort of know that each year I learn it better, so I kind of know what I'm doing more and more. Last year went pretty well for us, but there were still things we definitely could've done better.
"Despite not having Sonny [Colbrelli], we have probably still got as strong a team, so we have cards to play and it's going to be good fun. I can't wait."
Despite the blue skies in Gent, the temperature was still a chilly 5°C as the riders signed on, navigated the heavy crowds, and headed to the start. The situation, and the racing to come this weekend, serves as an aperitif for the upcoming spring Classics season which fills the calendar in March and April.
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"Opening Weekend is always hard," said Groupama-FDJ's Jake Stewart, second in Omloop two years ago. "It gives you a bit of a feel for how the racing is going to be later in the year in Belgium. It gives you a sense of where everyone's form and condition is at.
"But there are still a few more weeks until the 'real' Classics season starts and there's still plenty of time to build up to that.
"I really enjoy being out in Belgium and this style of racing. It kind of suits me the most as a bike rider and the kind of rider that I am. So, it's certainly where I enjoy racing the most, and it's just about getting stuck in and going as long as you come into the races."
The two 23-year-olds both possess a strong sprint and an aptitude for the cobbles and it's fair to say that the pair will be in contention at both Omloop and Kuurne. They're among 12 Britons lining up on Saturday, with Ineos Grenadiers pairing Tom Pidcock and Ben Turner also among a long favourites list.
Both Wright and Stewart said they were ready to compete over the 400km of racing across Flanders this weekend.
"I've done some races, crashed at the end of Bessèges and had to take a few days off and then into Algarve," Stewart said. "It's been made clear this year where my targets are and we're not really targeting those early-season races. Obviously Opening Weekend is the start of a big season, and we'll build it from here.
"I took a year out from Belgium last year with illness and that kind of takes a year out of your development in the sense of obviously not learning the Belgian roads and the way of racing or whatever.
"So, I'm really excited to be back. I had a good winter and it's taken me a while to get started in the season - I just haven't been going as well as expected, but certainly came here pretty ready this weekend."
Stewart will co-lead Groupama-FDJ across the weekend, with Stefan Küng alongside him at Omloop. Wright, meanwhile, was positive about his team's chances – he'll have Matej Mohorič for company at Bahrain Victorious.
"I know I was going well in Valencia but the Classics they're special. This is the first test, really, of how we're doing, you know," Wright said. "You know where you are in these in these situations but it's just difficult to know how everyone else is as well. We know we're going well but who knows what the others are doing.
"I think we've got a real good shot at it, and also tomorrow. If we can get a win out of these two days, it'd be fantastic. But it's easier said than done. We'll definitely be fighting."
Dani Ostanek is Senior News Writer at Cyclingnews, having joined in 2017 as a freelance contributor and later being hired full-time. Before joining the team, she had written for numerous major publications in the cycling world, including Cycling Weekly and Rouleur.