Opening Weekend is upon us, and with it, the start of the Classics season. First up is Omloop Het Nieuwsblad on Saturday, the first European WorldTour race of the season, for both men and women, before it is followed by Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne for the men on Sunday.
As a result, it is time to get in Flemish-racing mode, and prepare for crosswinds, cobbles, and long-range attacks. Some of the biggest stars will be on the roads this weekend, looking to ignite their seasons early. While there has already been a lot of action this year, for many, this is when pro cycling really kicks off.
This weekend is the first weekend of our TNT Sports future, so make sure you have worked out how to watch cycling if you haven't already, with our handy guide - there's also a guide on how to watch Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, specifically. Here are five things to look out for this weekend, and the riders you should be watching out for.
Tom Pidcock has won four races already in 2025, more than he did in 2023 and 2024 combined. However, he hasn’t tackled a WorldTour race yet, and Omloop will be a step up for the 25-year-old and his Q36.5 team. The opening cobbled Classic isn’t perfect for the Yorkshireman, but with form and confidence in his pocket, you shouldn’t count him out of the question, especially when the chaos of Belgian racing gets thrown in. A solid top 10 would make him one to watch for the rest of spring.
Visma-Lease a Bike aim for four in a row
2022’s winner was Wout van Aert, 2023’s was Dylan van Baarle, while 2024’s was Jan Tratnik. The three men all raced in yellow, and the Dutch squad seemingly always manage to hit the ground running in the Classics. It hasn’t always spelled success further down the line for the team, but four in a row would be special. Wout van Aert returns to cobbled racing with something to prove after crashing out of the spring season last year, while new signing Victor Campenaerts is one to watch.
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Vollering returns to WorldTour
We have already seen Demi Vollering racing in her new FDJ-Suez kit - she won Valenciana after all - but we are yet to see her at the WorldTour. This will change at the weekend as the 28-year-old races Omloop. It doesn’t look like we’ll yet see the mouth-watering clash between her and Lotte Kopecky, but Vollering could kickstart her Classics season with a victory or solid performance here. Either way, all eyes will be on her.
Focus on the Muur van Geraardsbergen
Omloop Het Nieuwsblad effectively runs as a mini-Tour of Flanders, but doesn’t include the Koppenberg, Oude Kwaremont and Paterberg triple. Instead, it uses the old Flanders one-two finish of the Muur van Gerrardsbergen followed by the Bosberg. The race will be decided on these cobbled climbs, even if there is a lone attacker at this point. De Muur is an iconic climb, and might only be 6.8% over 910 metres, but always has a say in Omloop. Whoever is first to the chapel at the top might just win the race.
Classics narrative are set
(Image credit: Getty Images)
Omloop is just five weeks out from the peak of the Classics season at the Tour of Flanders, followed a week later by Paris-Roubaix, and it might be Opening Weekend, but things that happen here have an impact throughout the rest of the season. If Van Aert or Vollering win, then they will increase their favourite status. If there are surprise performances from unheralded riders, then they will be marked for the next few races. Anything could happen, and this is the start.
Don’t forget Kuurne
The younger sibling of Opening Weekend is Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne, which takes place on the Sunday. It’s just a 1.Pro race, so not all the big stars will turn out, but those that do will fight hard. It sometimes ends in the sprint, but more often than not, the hard kilometres mean a solo winner from a group of favourites or a small bunch makes it to the line. It is the ultimate opportunity for someone to make up for a disappointing Saturday, if they have the legs.
Riders to watch
Demi Vollering (FDJ-Suez) ****
The Dutchwoman had a brilliant 2024, despite it being disappointing at times. This might seem like a contradiction, but Vollering still won 14 times, and had a very consistent Classics season, despite not winning one. At a new team, the refresh has started well with two wins already, but Omloop will be a step up.
Wout van Aert (Visma-Lease a Bike) *****
Van Aert had a shortened cyclo-cross season due to injury, and also a desire to focus on the road in 2025. Last year began so well, with a podium at Omloop and victory at Kuurne, but then was cruelly cut short by a crash at Dwaars door Vlaanderen, ruling him out of the Tour of Flanders. He will be itching to taste victory again in Belgium.
Lorena Wiebes (SD Worx-Protime) ****
According to current start lists, SD Worx will be without their world champion Lotte Kopecky at Omloop, so team leadership will rest on the shoulders of Lorena Wiebes, who has proved countless times that she is more than just a great sprinter. The Dutchwoman won Gent-Wevelgem last year, and few will want to help her to the finish on Saturday.
(Image credit: Getty Images)
Pfeiffer Georgi (Picnic PostNL) ***
The breakout star of last year’s Paris-Roubaix Femmes, Georgi has proved she is capable of winning hard Classics before, and why rule out the British champion in the opening cobbled race of the season? She will likely have the ability to do what she wants in her Picnic PostNL team, and will keep fighting through the race.
Tom Pidcock (Q36.5) ***
There probably isn't enough climbing in Omloop for things to be hard enough for Pidcock, but if he gets in the right group, the cross-discipline star certainly has the speed to make things count at the end of the race. Watch out for him in his new navy blue jersey.
(Image credit: Getty Images)
Elisa Balsamo (Lidl-Trek) ****
The Italian has already won twice this year, two stage wins at Valenciana, and so has clearly hit the ground running - or cycling - in 2025. The former world champion has been a match for Lotte Kopecky before, and in her absence, has exactly the right combination of punch and speed to succeed, although she has never finished on the podium.
Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck) ****
Potentially the best sprinter in the world, Philipsen will be lurking should the race come down to a bunch finish. However, he is not just a flat-track bully, as he has shown by successive podiums at Paris-Roubaix. He didn't win at the UAE Tour, so he will be itching to do so here.
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Adam is Cycling Weekly’s news editor – his greatest love is road racing but as long as he is cycling, he's happy. Before joining CW in 2021 he spent two years writing for Procycling. He's usually out and about on the roads of Bristol and its surrounds.
Before cycling took over his professional life, he covered ecclesiastical matters at the world’s largest Anglican newspaper and politics at Business Insider. Don't ask how that is related to riding bikes.
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