Opening Weekend brought some enthralling action, as it always does, to kickstart the Classics season, and it was once again dominated by team Visma-Lease a Bike.
In a gripping two days of racing, Jan Tratnik was a semi-surprise winner in the men's edition of Omloop Het Nieuwsblad. The Slovenian saved the day for the Dutch super team with a late attack to secure the win in the closing stages of the race.
Tratnik's teammate, Wout van Aert, took the honours at Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne on Sunday after outsprinting fellow Belgian Tim Wellens (UAE Team Emirates) to the line.
Arguably, the biggest result of them all was Marianne Vos' return to winning ways in the women's edition of Omloop. The Dutchwoman secured her 259th career victory on the cobbles, her first win since having surgery on the iliac artery in her left leg last year.
Here are five things we learned from Opening Weekend before the Classics season continues at Strade Bianche on Saturday.
Elisa Longo Borghini has the legs for Classics success
The Italian national champion was one of the stand out performers in the women’s edition of Omloop and rightfully managed to secure a spot on the podium.
As the race reached its finale, it was clear that Longo Borghini had the legs when it mattered and could still look to dictate the way the conclusion would go with some aggressive, attacking riding. Ultimately, it wasn’t to be, as an attack from the Lidl-Trek rider was thwarted by a group containing eventual winner, Marianne Vos (Visma-Lease a Bike), and Lotte Kopecky (SD Worx-Protime), who reeled her back in as the finish line approached.
But the Italian still had enough in the tank to secure third in the final sprint. Based on this impressive start, Longo Borghini could be set to return to the top spot of the podium in a major Classic in the weeks ahead.
Matteo Jorgenson has added further Classics firepower to Visma-Lease a bike
If his performance on Saturday is anything to go on, Matteo Jorgenson could be set to become the next Christophe Laporte at Visma-Lease a Bike and continue the team’s run of astute signings.
The American was outstanding for Visma, regularly at the sharp end of the race, and he completely decimated the lead group on the climbs in the latter half of the cobbled Classic, particularly the Wolvenberg.
At one stage, he even looked like he might solo to victory himself were it not for the high class chasing group breathing down his neck.
Laporte has had a huge impact since he joined Richard Plugge’s team, winning a Tour de France stage as well as Gent-Wevelgem and Dwars door Vlaanderen last year. If Jorgenson continues on with the form he displayed on Saturday, he could be in for his best year yet.
Soudal Quick-Step still some way off Classics-winning form
Soudal Quick-Step were once a force to be reckoned with in the Belgian Classics, although based on Saturday, the team still appears to be some way off winning form.
After Jumbo-Visma (now Visma-Lease a Bike) decimated the field to win both races on Opening Weekend last year, a change was very much afoot in the Classics hierarchy. Based on Saturday in particular, Quick-Step seem to still be nowhere near returning to their former dominant selves.
The best placed rider for the team was Yves Lampaert who came in 21st. Despite Patrick Lefevere’s latest outburst, much of the team’s hopes were placed on the shoulders of Julian Alaphilippe prior to the action getting underway.
However, Alaphilippe was involved in a crash and didn’t finish the race.
The team vastly improved on Sunday with newbie Luke Lamperti taking seventh at Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne, but will it be down the Remco Evenepoel once again to save the team’s spring at Liège–Bastogne–Liège?
Tom Pidcock on the right path to winning form
Tom Pidcock was optimistic after his Opening Weekend performance, and rightly so.
The British star was in the thick of the action for the majority of the day at Omloop but, in his own words, “ran out of legs” in the final moments. Nevertheless, there were some huge positives to take away from the weekend as Pidcock built for an attempt at defending his Strade Bianche title.
“You can’t be surprised at anything nowadays,” Pidcock said as he reflected on the race. “But when the race split at the start, you kind of hope in your mind that that's it, right there is going to be 25 guys racing the final.
“But then you come to the finish and there are two guys away that you hadn't seen all day. It's mad how it can play out and you don't give up in these races.”
“It was of course a hard day and the wind played a big part,” he added. “The race was open after 30-40 km. We spent the day in the wind.
“I ran out of legs a little at the finish. I think I'm quite happy in the front and we did a good job as a team at the start of the race and got ourselves in the right position with four in front. We can build on that.”
SD Worx are beatable
After their incredible dominance in the Classics last year, it was understandable that many envisaged SD Worx-Protime dominating Opening Weekend.
The strength in depth, in terms of potential race winners, at the Dutch team is formidable and equal to that at Visma-Lease a Bike in the men’s WorldTour.
Last year, Kopecky got the ball rolling for her hugely successful year with victory at Omloop. But this time out, Marianne Vos (Visma-Lease a Bike) had other ideas.
No matter how much world champion Lotte Kopecky tried to get away in the closing stages of the action, her rivals were alert to it and managed to bring her back in each time. Expect SD Worx to come out swinging at Strade Bianche on Saturday as they look to get back to winning ways, but it appears that teams are ready to challenge the Dutch squad. Let's hope it continues.
