This weekend, Dutch squad Jumbo-Visma turned up at both Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne with the strongest squad on paper, even with Classics superstar Wout van Aert absent. However, few could've countenanced the level of domination they showed across both races of the Opening Weekend.
Following a plan executed to perfection on Saturday with Dylan van Baarle soloing home on his debut for the team, it was more of the same on Sunday in Kuurne. Again, they hit the front hard a long way again, again they made the decisive split, and again, they took the glory.
As impressive as Van Baarle's win was, with teammates marking moves and Christophe Laporte sprinting to third in Ninove, the one-two that Tiesj Benoot and Nathan Van Hooydonck pulled off in Kuurne was even more so.
The final run to the line brought a masterclass in team tactics and strength, with the two Belgians taking turns to attack off the front of the five-man lead group – a total of five inside the final 4km – before the exit of the final bend, where Benoot jumped from the rear to escape to the win.
Behind him, Van Hooydonck played the part of blocker masterfully and had the strength left to grab second – even after a trio of late attacks on his part. It wasn't a first pro victory the 27-year-old might've dreamed about, but he was still thrilled.
"I got one of the few chances for personal success here, and I took full advantage of it," Van Hooydonck told the assembled media shortly after crossing the line. "We really looked forward to this period of racing, and we have experienced a dream start.
"I felt good today, but I also trained very hard to be good. If I keep on going like this, the win will also fall my way one day."
Team directeur sportif Arthur Van Dongen had told Cyclingnews on Saturday that victory came after a day that was "exactly the plan that we executed." It was the same case a day later and an hour up the road in Kuurne.
"Well, we are also still happy about yesterday," Van Dongen said outside the Jumbo-Visma team bus. "A one-three and now a one-two – it's an amazing start.
"It was exactly the same plan, well not the same plan, but again we planned it – to do what you saw. That's when we wanted to press at the front.
"For a long time, the gap was stuck the same, eh? Around a minute, a bit more. But then, on the local lap, we saw it and said, 'ah, it's between you,' and the guys played good and smart. Nathan was really strong; he killed the other guys, and then Tiesj finished it off."
If it was a plan, then it wasn't exactly a secret one, Van Hooydonck added. The long-range accelerations at Omloop may have been something of a surprise, but they weren't going to wait for a sprint finish on Sunday.
"We didn't hide it beforehand that we'd start things early," he said. "The course's 'centre of gravity' was a bit earlier here. We made a plan before the start, and it worked out well. We start the race with a certain idea, and we go for it 100% – sometimes, that makes the difference.
"It may come across as easy, but it absolutely isn't. We are seriously suffering both in training and in the races. Everyone is very committed to the team's plan. Everyone believes in it, even if it might sound ambitious on the bus in the morning."
The final, where Benoot and Van Hooydonck commanded the group, which included Matej Mohorič, Tim Wellens, and Taco van der Hoorn, attacking seemingly at will before executing the final jump for the line perfectly. It's perhaps no surprise that the pair seemed to know each other so well, given the time they've spent together at a recent training camp in Tenerife.
"I shared a room with Tiesj there for three weeks, so it's a dream to ride the final together," Van Hooydonck said. "A lot of riders go for altitude training, but with us, it's magnified every time because we perform very well afterwards. I'm a helper here, but I get the same guidance as Van Aert – that makes the difference."
