Ciao Milano Cortina! It’s almost OPENING WEEKEND!
Lotte Claes took a surprise win at Omloop Nieuwsblad last year.
Cor Vos
Well, the Winter Olympics are over, and just in time because it’s OPENING WEEKEND! Most of the best women in the peloton are on their way to Belgium very soon to line up at Omloop Nieuwsblad and Omloop van het Hageland, where they will get their first taste of the Belgian cobbles in 2026.
A note that winter sports aren’t over yet. The Paralympics will kick off on March 6th, and I, personally, am very excited about the hockey and cross-country skiing.
First things first: Wheel Talk is now on Instagram
That’s right, on Tuesday, we launched our new Instagram page where you can follow along for women’s cycling news, content, and more from myself, Georgie Howe, Loren Rowney, and Gracie Elvin. The page will be all women’s sports all the time, including some snippets from the podcast and quick race analysis videos from Georgie (coached by none other than Cosmo Catalano of How The Race Was Won).
We know social media isn’t for everyone, but if you’re on there, come find us and give us a follow!
Racing continues…
At Omloop Nieuwsblad and Omloop van het Hageland!
Omloop Nieuwsblad is the first one-day WWT race of the year on European soil and a major event for the peloton, so I will be writing a full breakdown of the course, the weather, and the riders to watch later this week when we have a more comprehensive startlist.
Here’s some info about the 1.1 race that follows on Sunday:
Omloop van het Hageland – won last year by Femke Gerritse and previously by Lorena Wiebes, Ellen van Dijk, Jolien D’Hoore, Lizzie Deignan, and more recognisable names – is the second half of opening weekend for the women. It features fewer cobbles, but does include some twisty Belgian roads that make for some very technical racing.
This year, the race is sponsored by FENIX Ekoï, so the full name of the event is FENIX-Ekoï Omloop van het Hageland.
The race course consists of one 4.8 km neutral section, a 47.4 km-long lap riders will do once and a shorter 23.6 km lap that the peloton will complete four times before the finish. In total, the women will race 142 km with 1,137 meters of elevation gain.
The significant climbs are all backloaded onto that shorter circuit, but in the last couple of years, the race has come down to a reduced bunch sprint.
As far as startlists go, the official list is not yet available, so we’re not 100% sure who will be lining up. We do know that most of the WorldTeams will be in attendance, but they tend to sub in some of the newer riders instead of bringing their A-teams from Saturday’s race.
A full startlist will be available here later this week.
Wheel Talk podcast
This week, we talk about Pauline Ferrand-Prèvot’s contract extension, salary caps, and the upcoming Opening Classic – Omloop Nieuwsblad.
Plus, I chatted with Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig about coming back from her crash in 2024, her first year with Canyon-SRAM zondacrypto, and the one race she wants to add to her palmarès.
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