10 Conclusions from Omloop Nieuwsblad 🇧🇪
We analyse performances from Alpecin, Visma, UAE, Red Bull, Ineos, and TNT's cycling coverage
Hi Subscribers,
I’ve really missed the Spring Classics, and while today’s outcome in the men’s race was somewhat predictable, it was still a great race that had you gripped from start to almost finish.
Below are 10 conclusions from the men’s race and the results, while our conclusions from the women’s race will follow on Sunday morning.
The first two conclusions are free with this piece, while the rest are available for paid subscribers.
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Van der Poel sails through the storm ⛵️
No attacks, no pressure and for the vast majority of the race, Mathieu van der Poel barely got out of second gear as he cruised to his first win of the season and maiden victory in Omloop Nieuwsblad, in what was his first attempt. No rider had achieved the feat of victory on debut in Omloop since Michele Bartoli back in 2001, when the race was known as Omloop Het Volk.
The Dutch rider never looked troubled, save for one moment that we’ll come to shortly, but the way in which he rode up to Florian Vermeersch on the Molenberg, and then worked alongside the UAE rider and the rest of the breakaway riders, including an impressive Tim van Dijke, ensured that once those three riders established a lead the chances of the peloton regaining contact were over. Even with the collective might of Visma, Decathlon, and Lotto, the race was done and dusted, and it was only a matter of time before van der Poel put the final remnants of opposition out of their misery.
On the first compilation of climbs following the formation of the winning break, van der Poel did enough to keep the peloton at bay while also maintaining companionship, often using Vermeersch to swap turns, before both riders and van Dijke slipped clear of the survivors from the early break on the lower slopes of the Muur.
Van der Poel took that as his cue to increase the pace, staying in the saddle as he simply rode away from his two remaining breakaway cohorts with 16km to go. Game over.
So how impressive was this victory? Compared to some van der Poel exploits, it was relatively tame. You have to remember that Wout van Aert, Tadej Pogačar, and Mads Pedersen were all absent from the start list, and several of the Dutch rider’s rivals who were in Gent for the start either crashed or got held behind several incidents.
Vermeersch definitely didn’t need to provide so much ammo in the break, but part of the aura around van der Poel comes down to the fact that he makes so many things seem easy. Physically, he’s the best cobbled Classics rider in the world, which is saying something given the current generation, but it wasn’t just luck when it came to avoiding all those crashes today.
It wasn’t luck when his incredible reflexes saved him on the Molenberg just as Rick Pluimers crashed and smacked his head on the cobbles right in front of van der Poel’s front wheel. I’ve watched that moment back several times, and it’s incredible how quickly van der Poel reacted, while on the other side of the fallen rider, Mathias Vacek, an excellent bike handler in his own right, moves into the gutter and totally loses all momentum. Van der Poel seamlessly unclipped, turned his front wheel a few degrees, and what made his move all the more impressive was that he was the closest rider behind the crash, and it’s worth noting that there were three Visma riders in close proximity, and none of them had the gas to make it across to the Dutchman over the top of the climb.
As for van der Poel’s Classics campaign, this is the perfect start. One race, one win, and another gap filled in his palmares.
His team also need to take a lot of credit. There were several crashes today, but the one in the last 50km caught my eye because van der Poel was so close tothe front and expertly protected by several of his Alpecin teammates. The team lost a few riders in the transfer market last summer, but this iteration of Alpecin-Premier Tech doesn’t appear to have any weakness.
Crashes leave their mark 💥
Make no mistake: while van der Poel impressed, the crashes had a massive impact on the race. The final result might have ended with the same podium, or very close to it, but Soudal Quick-Step lost their best chance of victory after Paul Magnier experienced a mechanical issue at the exit of the Holleweg.
You could argue that Alpecin also lost Jasper Philipsen after the Belgian was similarly held up in a crash, but Soudal Quick-Step really only had card in Magnier, and once he was distanced, the team threw everything into a frantic chase. Alpecin still had Groves and the winner in the lead group as several rivals fell, literally, by the wayside. We saw Stefan Kung crash; half of Ineos Grenadiers also hit the deck, and Tom Pidcock and Matthew Brennan were involved in falls as well.
Crashes are part of the Classics, but when the clear favourite remains incident-free while many of his rivals have to contend with falls, delays, or chases, the race becomes even more one-sided.