Are we about to see a repeat of last year's opening cobbled races, where Jumbo-Visma and SD Worx swept all before them, with everyone else unable to do anything about it?
Well. the teams' line-ups at tomorrow's Omloop Het Nieuwsblad – the opening race of Opening Weekend – look, if anything, stronger than last year.
Visma-Lease A Bike (formerly Jumbo-Visma), now contains two former winners in Wout Van Aert and Dylan Van Baarle, and is bolstered by the arrival of US rider Matteo Jorgenson, on a mission to fully achieve his potential, he says, having left Movistar.
Van Aert summed it up well at the recent Volta ao Algarve when he said: '"The team is massively strong if everyone is on their normal level." Note - 'normal' level. If they're on fire everyone else should perhaps stay home.
SD Worx fields a similar team to that of last year, with the fearsome Kopecky / Vollering / Wiebes triumvirate heading up the charge.
We took a look at some likely winners and their rivals.
Wout Van Aert (Bel, Visma-Lease A Bike)
The Belgian and his Visma-Lease A Bike team are going out to win at Omloop, says Van Aert. "There is little point in hiding," he told Het Nieuwsblad. A previous winner in 2022, Van Aert sat out last year's race, leaving it to his team-mate Dylan Van Baarle to take the honours. Van Aert has already demonstrated fine finishing form this year, winning a bunch sprint stage in the recent Volta ao Algarve.
Dylan Van Baarle (Ned, Visma-Lease A Bike)
Likely to set out as co-leader alongside Wout van Aert, having taken the last two editions between them. While Van Aert is ostensibly the overall leader, as last year's winner Van Baarle is unlikely to be in the mood to defer to his Belgian team-mate, especially with his 2022 Paris-Roubaix win in the pocket. But rather than succumb to infighting, this team used its huge firepower to great effect this time last year; nothing's to say they can't do so again.
Tom Pidcock (GBR, Ineos Grenadiers)
Last year's Strade Bianche winner is keen to defend that title next month, and comes to Omloop with the appropriate form. The Belgian race, which is perfectly placed to help the Yorkshireman fine tune his condition ahead of Strade, is the only cobbled Classic he will ride this year. "I am definitely in a good position," he told Wielerflits. "I am strong and fit and I am looking forward to showing that on Saturday."
Arnaud De Lie (Bel, Lotto-Dstny)
Peppered as it is with bergs, Omloop is the perfect race for a punchy finisher who can also get over the hills. Young Belgian upstart Arnaud De Lie is that rider – he finished second last year and Wout van Aert has named him as potential favourite for this year's race, saying he wants to be rid of De Lie before the finish. "If I'm still there after the Bosberg, [Visma] may get scared," he told Het Nieuwsblad. But that's a reasonable-sized 'if': the Bosberg comes with 12km to go.
Lotte Kopecky (Bel, SD Worx)
After a huge year last season which included wins in Ronde Van Vlaanderen and the Glasgow World Championship road race, as well as Omloop, Kopecky seems set to take up where her SD Worx DS Anna Van Der Breggen left off at the end of 2021 and rule over the punchier one-dayers. She's shown the form is there already this season, with an overall win at the UAE Tour, complete with a stage win on Jebel Hafeet.
Demi Vollering (Ned, SD Worx)
A rider in the mould of the outgoing Grand Tour doyenne Annemiek Van Vleuten, Vollering is better suited to the longer, climbier end of the racing spectrum - exemplified by her win at last year's Tour de France Femmes. She can, and does, win Classics like this though – last year's Dwars door Vlaanderen for example, similar to Omloop. Put her in a team next to Kopecky and you're looking at what could easily turn out to be two-thirds of the podium.
Emma Norsgaard (Den, Movistar)
A notable result at Omloop has become a yearly feature of 24-year-old Norsgaard's season. The Danish time trial and gravel champion has recorded a top-six in all of the past three editions, including second in 2021. She also won a Tour de France Femmes stage last year.
Like others here, she had a low key start to this year at the UAE Tour but this race always stands out as a highlight of her year. With a dose of luck and good timing she could stand on the top step, but SD Worx does look like a difficult obstacle to overcome.
Pfeiffer Georgi (GBR, dsm-Firmenich)
When she's not delivering Charlotte Kool to race victories – and before that Lorena Wiebes – the 23-year-old British road champion is an accomplished Classics rider who has been edging closer and closer to a major victory over the past few years. She was fifth at last year's Omloop, before going on to take top-10s at both Paris-Roubaix and Amstel Gold as well as the British National Road Championship. Could this be Georgi's breakthrough year?
