Opening Weekend does not, in truth, mark the start of the pro cycling season. There's plenty of racing to choose from beforehand, in Australia, Middle East, Spain and more.
But for Classics fans, the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad / Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne double-whammy over the cobbles and the bergs of Flanders is a watershed two days that begins proceedings in earnest.
In the same way, there was a phalanx of riders kicking off not just their Classics season but their Classics careers in earnest at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad this weekend. Among their number were three Britons enjoying their first outing in this kind of race at WorldTour level.
The youngest among them – and indeed the youngest rider in the entire race – was Matty Brennan, riding his first year with the Visma-Lease a Bike WorldTour team.
He was drafted in as a late recruit with numerous team-mates having illness and injury-hit early weeks.
Also on the start line were Bob Donaldson, riding his first WorldTour season after signing from Trinity Racing to Jayco-AlUla, and Cycling Weekly's 2024 Rider of the Year Joe Blackmore, in his first full season with Israel-Premier Tech.
Worthy too of a mention is Josh Tarling (Ineos Grenadiers). At 21 this is his first Opening Weekend but his second year as a WorldTour pro – he is already a veteran of the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix. He put his time trial chops into action as the race approached the sharp end, attempting to bridge from the bunch to the early break, a valiant effort that did not, ultimately, succeed.
Full gas
"You go in expecting the worst – full gas from the start and absolute carnage," said 22-year-old Donaldson. "But today the break went from kilometre zero, with [team-mate] Elmar [Reinders] in it. We could sit back a bit, but I don't think you can ever relax in these races.
"My job today was being at the front as long as possible, positioning the guys," he told Cycling Weekly. "I think I did that well, and I enjoyed it. I think I did all I can ask for really."
There were certainly lessons he'd learned, Donaldson said, with the positioning being both a learning experience and one that gave him confidence.
"The positioning is absolutely pivotal," he said. "Everyone talks about how hard it is and how chaotic it is but I expected that, and I think I can take confidence from my ability to stay in the front in the chaotic part of the race and from there just let the legs do the talking."
Donaldson – who was second in last year's Paris-Roubaix espoirs and so not exactly a stranger to cobbles – had never ridden any of the region's climbs before, but his recon rides had been enhanced by having a former winner of the WorldTour Roubaix as a DS.
"We've got Mat Hayman as a DS, and the detail coming through the radio coming up to every section is second to none. That is motivation for me to learn the climbs and learn the roads, because he knows every pothole.
"I've spent the last few days doing my revision," he added, "watching previous editions and memorising as much as I could."
Donaldson will ride all the Classics bar Ghent-Wevelgem, he says, up to and including Paris-Roubaix, "if all goes well. Obviously that's hard to say with how much chaos there is. Roubaix is the big one for me. It's still a long way away at this point so we'll see how things go, but I'm looking forward to them all to be honest, as it's all new and learning."
Having transferred over from Israel-Premier Tech's devo squad to the WorldTour team in May last year, Blackmore has had enough experience – and success – already that he had designs on a moderately successful outing here. In his first ride in a cobbled WorldTour Classic, he said: ' Like always in Belgium it was a crazy fight for every corner, every inch, every bit of road.
"I had good legs, and I felt alright. I was nearer the front over some of the climbs. Unfortunately into the Molenberg I just lost the right wheels and slipped a bit further back. With so little time on the main roads the road gets blocked and I couldn't go forward.
Lots to learn
After being blocked by a crash at the bottom of the climb Blackmore had to stop, he said, effectively ending any designs he had on a result.
"I was out of the race from then," added the 22-year-old. "It goes to show how quickly these Belgian races can change. So [there's] definitely a lot to learn from that. You've really got to put the effort in before you think you need to, I think
"In the end it's a bit disappointing to have to end your race with 40K to go and just ride into the finish in the group," he said, "but hopefully I'll be back in next year's and also the rest of the Classics period.
Omloop for Blackmore had come just days after finishing fourth overall and winning the points competition at the Tour des Alpes Maritimes in France, and he said he was going to try to maintain that momentum.
"[It was] definitely a good race to get going in Belgium. Relentless. I'm going to try and keep the momentum going – in general I'm pretty happy," Blackmore concluded.
In the final tally, all the riders finished, with Tarling 47th, Brennan 69th, Donaldson 89th, Blackmore 93rd. But remember, this is Opening Weekend in more ways than one for these riders, and it feels like for them there's a whole lot more to come.
