10 riders to watch at Opening Weekend

Classics
(Image credit: Getty Images / Bettini Photo)

The weekend double of Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne opens the Classics season and, while the wet and icy Belgian weather we so often see might be absent, there will still be a deluge of contenders turning up eager to get a result on the board, particularly given that early season race cancellations have limited the chances so far.

On Saturday, Omloop heads south from Gent, taking in 13 hills and 14 cobbled sections, including the famous Muur van Geraardsbergen, while Kuurne on Sunday, with 50 kilometres of flat roads to the finish, offers more of an opening for the sprinters.

Patrick Fletcher

Patrick is a freelance sports writer and editor. He’s an NCTJ-accredited journalist with a bachelor’s degree in modern languages (French and Spanish). Patrick worked full-time at Cyclingnews for eight years between 2015 and 2023, latterly as Deputy Editor.