The Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, or Omloop Het Volk as it was called before the newspaper changed hands in 2008, is the first test for the Classics riders and a shock to the system after the warm weather racing at the Tours of Dubai, Qatar and Oman, and Tour Down Under and Tour de San Luis in January.
Last year, the wet and bitterly cold edition was won by Ian Stannard (Team Sky), who got the better of the arguably superior sprinter Greg Van Avermaet (BMC) simply by staying warmer.
The race, together with Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne is as much a test of toughness as it is fitness, and bad weather has forced the cancellation of both races in the past. But even when raced in good conditions, the difficulty of the distance and the parcours provides a platform for the ambitious to gain impressive early season results.
