Was just looking at the results, noticed no breakaway wins again, same as Paris-Nice, Tirreno ,UAE, TDU, RDS, San Juan. I'm sure there's another example or two but the only one I can remember was Cort in Algarve which was pretty cool, but not exactly unexpected. JV also won 4 classics with Merlier 1.
I dunno man I hope it's just an outlier season but if it's part of a wider trend then that's not good. Pogacar waving away De La Cruz the other week didn't sit quite right with me. I suppose it makes things easier to follow for new fans and more marketable having the same guys up against each other, but an unlikely baroudeur getting their moment is a massive part of the charm of cycling to me, hopefully it doesn't continue in the grand tours.
Only thing that would make it worth it is if Vanmarcke wins Roubaix, then I take it all back.