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

[tobydawq]

You're right but I think it is not different with other teams.

But then my original point still stands that it was quite poor of them to not get a single spot in the top 40 out of a peloton of 50 riders in which they had four guys.

 

[Rockestar_33]

I didn't hate it, but I did fall asleep for about 60 km before waking up with 15 left. Could have been more selective but if Kung had survived when he attacked we'd all be happier.

 

[Peyroteo94]

But then my original point still stands that it was quite poor of them to not get a single spot in the top 40 out of a peloton of 50 riders in which they had four guys.

Yup but they don't have sprinters. These results don't reflect their performance (it wasn't good but they had 2 riders able to be in the first group after Bosberg).

 

[ingsve]

There was nothing wrong with the route or the riders in this race. The defining aspect was he headwind. That more than anything is what made attacks futile and that kept things together.

That said there are still other ways to make a race interesting. The CQ manager game is a good example. As someone who has Wout Van Aert in my team it was tense when the initial split happened and he wasn't part of that move. Same thing being a Uno-X fan since they also had no one in the first split. So it was tense following the split to see if it would go up or down from those 20-25 s it kept staying at. Then when everything came together and the defining moments happen it got more exciting to see my riders there with Abrahamsen even being one of the first over the last helling. And in the final knowing that Waerenskjold probably had a good chance to get a nice top 10 result in a race he wasn't suppose to ride. That he then won was also a pleasant surprise. I would have been happy with 5th really.

But if you have no specific interest in any specific riders I can see how this race was more like watching a 0-0 football game between two teams you don't really care about.

 

[hayneplane]

Very poor race. Too many riders afraid to take the initiative and to end with a 50 rider front group is weak racing.

Nice result for my team via Paul Magnier who was half a wheel away from finally putting France on the long list of winners.

 

[Netserk]

By changing the order of the same cobbles (minus Jagerij) and climbs, you can make the part between Molenberg and the Muur shorter and easier (e.g. Leberg is before Molenberg like when the race finished in Gent), to then have enough beforehand to see the race already opened before Eikenberg.

Modified Omloop

193.0 km, +1754 m. Bike ride in Gent, Vlaams Gewest

ridewithgps.com

 

[proffate]

Even though Philipsen botched the sprint again you have to say what Alpecin does in these races is just quite impressive. Not even in the middle of the pack in terms of budget and they were the only team that was able to organise themselves and force a situation. Thought it was worth a mention.

So all those in sprints he lost in the desert were botched? Seems if you're actually the best sprinter it shouldn't be so easy to screw up. Look at what Merlier did from p30

 

[search]

From what it sounded like in his recent interviews, sprints are just not a priority for Philipsen currently. His main goal are the big classics, and he will turn into a sprinter again afterwards.

 

[Breh]

So all those in sprints he lost in the desert were botched? Seems if you're actually the best sprinter it shouldn't be so easy to screw up. Look at what Merlier did from p30

No sane person would argue Philipsen is the best/fastest sprinter in the pack.

 

[Balthazar]

So all those in sprints he lost in the desert were botched? Seems if you're actually the best sprinter it shouldn't be so easy to screw up. Look at what Merlier did from p30

No, but as I said earlier—would Philipsen not have followed Wouts wheel and been better positioned he really should have won yesterday. Especially if you look at the opposition. Big chance missed for him and the team.

Absolutely agree that Philipsen isn't the fastest sprinter right now but who knows, he might win today with a good lead out.

 

[jmdirt]

Nah man. You should watch some different races including the Muur-Bosberg.

One of the few good things about being old is that I have seen a lot of races for a lot of years, but thanks for you suggestion.

 

[jmdirt]

Honestly, it was a pretty boring race. It's not necessarily an entertaining race just because you don't know the winner beforehand, and it's not necessarily an entertaining race if you get a surprising winner. There was just no real attacks, none of the usual cobbled classics racing and dynamics. Omloop is usually one of my favorite races of the year, but this one was a let down.

There were no real attacks because we had a lot of guys on similar form.

 

[Valv.Piti]

Worst opening weekend I have watched. Quite terrible tbh. Cant wait for the real cobbled classics

 

[hayneplane]

Worst opening weekend I have watched. Quite terrible tbh. Cant wait for the real cobbled classics

We are in an era where the big cats don’t come out to play on opening weekend and the mice were still extraordinarily timid.

 

[Tim Cahill]

Just watched quite a bit of it, race seemed alright actually? Not the best edition I suppose but better than what everyone is suggesting here, pretty interesting tactically and there was tension until the end.

Visma and UAE hypejobs just got rolled by some Kermesse riders, a 48 year Lampaert/QS who actually came with a decent plan and some Chat GPT-suggested Norwegian domestiques.

No real riders or teams standing out as two levels above this season, much more interesting stuff. KBK was crap granted, skipped through most of it.

 

[Zoetemelk-fan]

How is that not an exciting race? Granted the last bit isn't a great course (they have to get into town I guess), but the last 20 K with that many guys hammering the cobble climbs?! That's good stuff! Solos are boring, groups are boring...what do people want?! I love that that many guys have this fitness on March 1! It wasn't like they were just spinning along waiting for the last 500 M.

I second that.

Just noticed your post, been reluctant posting here, having musings about I would offend the entire crowd here, but glad to see I'm not a one man island here

Myself I was fully enjoyed, watching the live signal - not just past two final hellingen but for the entire 3 hours of broadcast.

Yes, knuckleheads among but to me just spicy ingredients.

Stale mate game sometimes?
Yes, but just extra suspense to me.

I don't know if users here are affected by missing heroic solo rides / have become addicted to Pogi style, or bet on certain riders, or are disappointed if the top 10 is not made up of the scientifically kg/w and cobblestone strongest advance favorites.

I have expressed my opinion here before, but gladly repeat:
I simply love when a race changes dynamics constantly like this. And a good mix of strong sprint teams, strong classic riders, surprises in between and the heroic attempts like Küng and Tarling (x2, with his head in the right place, IMO only the sky could be the limit for him).

I was most taken aback by Uno-X. It could obviously annoy many here that they ruined all the "smart" predictions, but for me they helped deliver suspense. I look forward to seeing what they can accomplish in the coming weeks.

To me a memorable race.
No joke.

And that's not because I sided with certain teams or certain riders (of which I did not), but because the race had dynamics all the way to the finish line.

Edit, OK just read more pages here, seems luckily more nuances in POVs of the race. Which is good.

 

[ashhutch1997]

I think the course could do with some earlier climbs to add some wear and tear, but I think the biggest problem was the headwind. This current course has provided some great racing, I recall 2019 and 20 being good editions.