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

[Netserk]

Visma seem to have the best guys here but missing a final rider on the startlist due to Laporte's sickness(?)

Behrens was the last rider before his injury, Brennan replaces him.

 

[Hugo Koblet]

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?

 

[Tim Cahill]

Morgado is going, no?

I'm looking at PCS which has him as a reserve, it might be out of date, he should do.

Firstcycling has this team too;

UAE Team Emirates-XRG
161	Politt Nils
162	Baroncini Filippo
163	Bjerg Mikkel
164	Herregodts Rune
165	Narvaez Jhonatan
166	Vermeersch Florian
167	Wellens Tim

 

[Berniece]

Politt, Wellens, Narvaez, Vermeersch, Bjerg. They have multiple options and win this as a tactical game

So does Visma with WVA, Jorgenson and Benoot

 

[Wyndbrook]

I checked and Discovery + has it on the List at 13:30 CET, start of the Race is 11:15 and the expected finish is 15:53. So maybe they Show the last 90 km of the Race. Any Belgian Media that is covering the whole Race?

Just a reminder if using to view in UK, you will need to be signed up to new subscription rates from Friday.

 

[Sciatic]

I'm gonna ride the final tomorrow. Hope to see a lot of teams on their recon.

Awesome—enjoy!!

 

[yaNzKEWL]

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.

 

[Samamba]

Northeastern wind expected, doesn't benefit attackers.

 

[yaNzKEWL]

13 km/h seems not too windy IMO at the moment. No rain also. Need to update this but at the moment, weather will not have a big impact if it's stay like that.

 

[Berniece]

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.

 

[RedheadDane]

If Lidl send Pedersen as last person they have the second best or atleast on par with Jumbo. Have everything to be a banger race.

Pedersen isn't riding.

 

[yaNzKEWL]

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...

 

[Sciatic]

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.

 

[yaNzKEWL]

We'll see. But for me apart from WVA they cannot win a sprint vs. UAE boys, that's just what I said.

 

[Brullnux]

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!

 

[Rockestar_33]

Annoying that Australia has no coverage of this but do for KBK.

Not sure who Jayco's leader will be. It's probably Stewart but I wouldn't mind seeing Donaldson get a crack at the sprint

 

[yaco]

Annoying that Australia has no coverage of this but do for KBK.

Not sure who Jayco's leader will be. It's probably Stewart but I wouldn't mind seeing Donaldson get a crack at the sprint

Krinjsen is the leader if fit Bling and Schmid should be at this race.

 

[ChewbaccaDefense]

I checked and Discovery + has it on the List at 13:30 CET, start of the Race is 11:15 and the expected finish is 15:53. So maybe they Show the last 90 km of the Race. Any Belgian Media that is covering the whole Race?

4:40am PST, which means maybe 3 hours of coverage, so 70-90km it seems, and likely on the short side.

 

[ChewbaccaDefense]

Officially, live coverage started 14:10 with 72 km to go last year.

Looks like that site we don't name directly will start around 4:30am here, so again...maybe 70k...

 

[Rockestar_33]

Krinjsen is the leader if fit Bling and Schmid should be at this race.

Fair, it's a bunch of newbies at the level or guys who aren't really leaders

 

[tobydawq]

Annoying that Australia has no coverage of this but do for KBK.

Not sure who Jayco's leader will be. It's probably Stewart but I wouldn't mind seeing Donaldson get a crack at the sprint

Campbell Stewart a captain for Omloop?

 

[Rockestar_33]

Campbell Stewart a captain for Omloop?

He's the quickest of the 5 I've seen on the squad (haven't seen Donaldson race yet) so he makes the most sense

 

[Wvv]

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.

 

[tobydawq]

He's the quickest of the 5 I've seen on the squad (haven't seen Donaldson race yet) so he makes the most sense

Well, given that the TDU was too chaotic for him to even get a stage top 10, I wouldn't set my hopes up.

 

[Rockestar_33]

Well, given that the TDU was too chaotic for him to even get a stage top 10, I wouldn't set my hopes up.

I don't have them up.