All eyes are on Mathieu van der Poel as he opens his season at the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad. The Dutch star starts as the clear favourite, but before the race, he told Sporza it’s hardly a sure thing that he can take off on one of the cobbled climbs.
“That may be saying a lot,” he said. “If you look at the Omloop, it’s hard to make a difference.”
The race, known for its selective finale, does not always allow for early heroics. According to Van der Poel, timing will be everything. “It’s tricky to open the race before the Muur,” he said. “The wind plays a bit with us today, but it’s not always favourable. We have to pay attention. Just like all the Classics.”
While many expect him to attack, Van der Poel reminded the media he is not the team’s only option. Alpecin-Premier Tech has the fastman duo of Jasper Philipsen and Kaden Groves. “You can go alone. That’s happened before,” he says. “But we have Jasper and Kaden for the sprint. That’s an asset.”
Philipsen, however, says van der Poel is still the dude for the day. “Mathieu is our leader today,” he said.
“A bunch sprint would be nice, but there are other scenarios possible.”
9 months later, Mara Roldan races again
One Canadian is racing Saturday, NSN Cycling’s Guillaume Boivin. On Sunday, however, he will be one of two: Nick Zukowsky of Pinarello Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team will race Kuurne–Brussels–Kuurne.
In the women’s Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, however, there’s a large Canadian contingent.
Alison Jackson (St Michel – Preference Home – Auber93), Alexandra Volstad (EF Education-Oatly), Kiara Lylyk (Mayenne Monbana My Pie) and Mara Roldan (Team Picnic PostNL) are there.
This is Roldan’s first race back after a long recovery falling a brutal crash at the Tour of Britain. They’re joined by Katja Verkerk (Minimax Cycling Team), Emilie Fortin (Minimax Cycling Team) and Maggie Coles-Lyster (Human Powered Health).
Check back on Canadian Cycling Magazine for a full report after!