The road to victory at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad again looks destined to run through Visma-Lease A Bike. The Dutch outfit have won the past two editions of the race, and they will deploy a team of imposing strength on Saturday.
2022 winner Wout van Aert is joined in the line-up by defending champion Dylan van Baarle, with Christophe Laporte, Tiesj Benoot, Edoardo Affini and new arrival Matteo Jorgenson also featuring. The danger man, however, might yet prove to be Jan Tratnik, who has been in sparkling form so far this season.
Tratnik took second at the Vuelta a Murcia and third at Clásica Jaén before riding to third overall at the Volta ao Algarve. The Slovenian also has some unfinished business at Omloop after impressing at last year’s race until an untimely puncture removed him from contention.
“I think I must be happy and excited, this is the answer,” Tratnik said of his Opening Weekend prospects following his latest podium finish in Portugal.
“With this condition, with this result, I think I am not afraid of anybody, especially with such a strong team. I’m just looking forward to next week.”
Tratnik has shone across all terrains as a professional, and he had hinted at his potential on the cobbles during his final season at Bahrain Victorious. He gave a further indication at Opening Weekend last year after making the switch to Jumbo-Visma.
“I like it – short climbs, punchy,” Tratnik said. “I did a really good race last year. Unfortunately, I punctured with 30k to go and then the race was over. But we still had Dylan in the break. I think let’s give it a try.”
Despite that display twelve months ago, Tratnik played no further part in the cobbled Classics, building instead towards riding the Giro d’Italia in the service of Primoz Roglic, though he would cruelly miss the race after a training crash on the eve of the Grande Partenza.
This time out, Tratnik is set to play a key role in Visma-Lease A Bike’s assault on the Tour of Flanders, and he will mirror his leader Van Aert by forgoing Paris-Nice and Tirreno-Adriatico in order to prepare for the Classics with an extended spell of altitude training.
Last year, Tratnik was deployed predominantly in the service of Primoz Roglic, but he takes on a wider array of races following his compatriot’s departure to Bora-Hansgrohe.
“I will do Opening Weekend now and then I go with Wout and Tiesj to Teide for three weeks,” Tratnik said. “After that, I’ll do three Classics – E3 Harelbeke, Dwars door Vlaanderen and the Tour of Flanders. And then I’ll do the Giro, the Tour and the Olympic Games.”
The 33-year-old’s racing schedule is testament to his status at Visma-Lease A Bike. His contract with the team expires at the end of the current campaign, and on the evidence of his fast start to 2024, he will have ample options for next season.
“I’m out of contact,” Tratnik confirmed. “It’s quite nice to make some results, so I think I will have some sweet problems.”
Visma-Lease A Bike, meanwhile, have the luxury problem of lining up with a team full of potential winners at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad. They already gave an inkling of how they might deploy that depth on the final day of the Volta ao Algarve, where Van Aert went on the offensive early and Tratnik stuck to the group of favourites until the Alto do Malhão.
“We tried to have fun on the bike and make the race attractive,” said Tratnik, who took fifth on the final climb to secure his podium berth. “I never thought I would race for GC here, but in the end, I got a bit of a chance to race for myself.”
