80th (Men's) Omloop Het Nieuwsblad - Saturday, March 1, 2025

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Nah, they are one of the best teams here still but like you said Politt looks like he's struggling after the crash, Morgado should've gone as he's flying. Visma seem to have the best guys here but missing a final rider on the startlist due to Laporte's sickness(?)

Going to miss both races so will be depending on the forum for some top top analysis thanks.
Morgado is going, no?
 
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So does Visma with WVA, Jorgenson and Benoot
Unless other year, Visma will miss Laporte because in a small group he would be very often the favorite for sprint. Here, what'll do Visma if Narvaez is above with Jorgenson or Benoot... They have no chance. Same with Morgado, and even with Politt or Vermeersch. Jorgenson and Benoot needs to go solo. Not UAE riders.
 
Unless other year, Visma will miss Laporte because in a small group he would be very often the favorite for sprint. Here, what'll do Visma if Narvaez is above with Jorgenson or Benoot... They have no chance. Same with Morgado, and even with Politt or Vermeersch. Jorgenson and Benoot needs to go solo. Not UAE riders.
Jorgenson has won Dwars door Vlaanderen
Benoot has won Kuurne

There's no UAE rider that has won anything similar to those cobbled classics.
 
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Jorgenson has won Dwars door Vlaanderen
Benoot has won Kuurne

There's no UAE rider that has won anything similar to those cobbled classics.
That's what I said, they need to go solo. That's how Jorgenson and Benoot won the race you said, with a numerical advantage. If there are both in a group but without numerical advantage, they are not destined to win on the paper, because UAE will always have quicker rider. Just a smart move can make them win but in a 2v2 situation it's more complicate than numerical advantage like they had...
 
That's what I said, they need to go solo. That's how Jorgenson and Benoot won the race you said, with a numerical advantage. If there are both in a group but without numerical advantage, they are not destined to win on the paper, because UAE will always have quicker rider. Just a smart move can make them win but in a 2v2 situation it's more complicate than numerical advantage like they had...
That’s not a very substantive argument, given that they haven’t shown that before in one-day cobbled classics. What they’ e shown in stage races doesn’t apply.
 
Theres no way people think this jumbo team is better than UAE rider for rider even without their kingpin, not even close. Politt, Bjerg you have two of top 5 in flandern last year alone, add in Morgado which are better now and they have 3 of top 5...

Add inn Wellens and Narvaez, Florian Vermeersch which are new and all lined up, it gets ridiculous...all of these riders are better than anyone on Visma besides Van Aert only and on par/better than Jorgenson, depth wice its not close.
[[content deleted]]Jorgenson is better than all of those riders. Bjerg has had like two (?) good performances in a cobbled classics ever, Vermeersch and Wellens are tidy Benoot like riders, and Politt had a wonder 2024 spring but hasn't hit that form again. Narvaez and Morgado are unknown quantities for Belgan classics – I don't know if Narvaez has ever really targeted them.

Besides, as mentioned, the biggest cobbled race any of those guys has won is the Sels Trophy – Brabantse Pjil if you count that as cobbled rather than just hilly. Let's not do UAE team fanboyism, please, it's potentially the most boring of the fanboyisms. Oh look, they have loads of cash!
 
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Narvaez and Morgado are unknown quantities for Belgan classics – I don't know if Narvaez has ever really targeted them.
Ehm ...

Go rewatch Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne 2021, check the 2024 and 2022 results of the E3 Harelbeke, take a look at the top five of last year's Ronde van Vlaanderen and search the sprint for the win in that same year's Le Samyn.
 
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