Bigger chainrings, new derailleurs, unreleased wheels
(Image credit: Will Jones)
Opening Weekend is comprised of two races. First up is Omloop Het Niewsblad, a lumpy, rough-and-tumble race, from which we've already put together our first mega tech gallery. The start is frenetic, but well organised, with teams cordoned off from the fans with plenty of space for both the teams and jobbing journos to move around.
Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne is a different beast entirely. There is no start venue, so teams park buses in car parks, beside ancient bridges, and on the banks of the river Leie. There's often only a bike length from the door of the bus to the clamouring fans, which certainly makes it a little harder to get information out of mechanics.
The crowds typically swarm around the big teams, and the arrival of the Visma-Lease a Bike bus saw a mass movement of bodies more akin to a shoal of fish than humans. On the flip side, it meant things were easier at the second-tier team buses. I was able to have an interesting chat with the Lotto-Dstny mechanic about Thomas de Gendt's random tyre blowout without having to use my elbows at all.
Sadly there is no women's Kurrne-Brussels-Kuurne, so all of the tech below is from the men's peloton. If you want the full experience, put on some '80s classic pop hits, as were being blared out by two wonderful DJs on a rickety, wheeled scaffold platform. I'm just glad it wasn't raining.
Is there anything we've missed? Let us know in the comments below, and stay tuned to Cyclingnews for all the race results, news and features from our team on the ground throughout the classics season.
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Will joined the Cyclingnews team as a reviews writer in 2022, having previously written for Cyclist, BikeRadar and Advntr. He’s tried his hand at most cycling disciplines, from the standard mix of road, gravel, and mountain bike, to the more unusual like bike polo and tracklocross. He’s made his own bike frames, covered tech news from the biggest races on the planet, and published countless premium galleries thanks to his excellent photographic eye. Also, given he doesn’t ever ride indoors he’s become a real expert on foul-weather riding gear. His collection of bikes is a real smorgasbord, with everything from vintage-style steel tourers through to superlight flat bar hill climb machines.