The start of the cobbled Classics season is here, and riders are sharing their thoughts ahead of Omloop Het Nieuwsblad. Some are entering the race in strong form, while others are still building towards their peak. With so many contenders, the race is wide open. Here’s what the biggest names are saying before they take to the start line.
Wout van Aert: “You can feel a bit of extra tension”
Wout van Aert is the biggest name in the race, but he is cautious about his form. He has been recovering from injuries suffered in last year’s Vuelta a España and is aiming to reach his best shape later in the spring.
“I’m a bit nervous, you can feel a bit of extra tension in everyone,” Van Aert admitted at a team event in Utrecht. “It is also the first race where we race in front of a lot of people.”
He started his season at Clásica Jaén and the Volta ao Algarve, where he finished second in the final time trial. While he didn’t take a win, he feels his preparation is going well.
“I look back on the first races with satisfaction,” he said. “The goal was to find an extra percent in those first races and I think I succeeded. I found the confidence and fun, and that has pleased me a lot.
“I think after next weekend we will really be able to tell what my level is like. The most important thing is that I felt better every day and took a step forward.”
His Visma-Lease a Bike team have won the last three editions of Omloop and will aim to control the race again. Alongside Van Aert, they have strong options in Matteo Jorgenson and Tiesj Benoot, giving them multiple ways to win.
Photo Credit: GettyTom Pidcock: “It’s not the main focus, but I’ll go all in”
Tom Pidcock has made a winning start to life at Q36.5 Pro Cycling, taking four victories already this season. Despite this, he is not treating Omloop as a big target.
“It’s not the main focus, but I’ll go all in the same, and then we’ll see,” he told Cyclingnews.
Pidcock has previously finished 5th and 8th in this race and could be a contender again. However, his main goals for the spring are in the Ardennes, so this will be his only cobbled Classic.
“If the opportunity is there, then for sure I’ll go for it,” he said.
Stefan Küng: “It’s hard to predict anything”
Stefan Küng is preparing for his ninth appearance at Omloop and knows how unpredictable the race can be.
“It’s the first race of the season, you always work hard over the winter and you never know exactly how you are doing,” he told Cyclingnews during the Volta ao Algarve.
“You have an idea, but it’s always good to be back in racing and to be focused on this good start to the season. Because once this [Algarve] is done, the serious business starts.”
Küng finished 30th in the Algarve time trial, a result that didn’t concern him too much. He believes his best form will come later in the spring.
“I just need to stay calm, recover, do Omloop and Paris-Nice and the legs will only improve,” he said. “As an athlete, you like to have nice feelings in the first race of the season, but it is still only the first race.”
Tim Wellens: “We’ll hope to keep the momentum going”
Tim Wellens is part of a strong UAE Team Emirates-XRG squad and is excited to get his Classics campaign underway.
“Being from Belgium, this period of the season is always very special and exciting for me,” he said in a team press release.
UAE have been the most successful team of 2025 so far, and Wellens believes they will be among the top contenders at Omloop.
“This year we will be one of the main favourites in these races compared to other years,” he said. “We’ve had a very strong start to the year and the atmosphere is very good, so we’ll hope to keep that going.”
Photo Credit: GettyJosh Tarling: “We’re fucking hungry”
Ineos Grenadiers struggled in 2024 but have made a strong start to the new season. Josh Tarling, one of their young leaders, says the team is determined to return to the top.
“It’s not so much a refresh [personnel-wise], because I think, obviously, everyone likes all the staff, but it’s more that everyone has that new hunger.”
“You can see it in the racing, you know, it’s not desperate, it’s hungry.”
Tarling is targeting Paris-Roubaix as his biggest goal this spring, but he is open to taking his chances at Omloop if the situation is right.
“If the opportunity is there, then for sure I’ll go for it,” he said.
Biniam Girmay: “I am so happy to become a father”
One of the expected contenders, Biniam Girmay, will not be racing this weekend. He has returned to Eritrea for the birth of his second child.
“I am so happy to become a father for the second time,” he said in a statement issued by Intermarché-Wanty. “I am grateful to my team for giving me the opportunity to come back in Eritrea to be close to my wife and my daughters for this important moment in my life.”
Girmay had been expected to challenge for the win, particularly at Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne on Sunday, but will instead focus on later races in the season.
Photo Credit: Challenge GeraardsbergenThe Unknowns of Opening Weekend
Omloop Het Nieuwsblad is one of the hardest races to predict. Some riders will arrive in peak form, while others are still building towards bigger goals later in the spring.
Visma-Lease a Bike is aiming for a fourth consecutive win having won with Van Aert in 2022, Van Baarle in 2023 and Tratnik in 2024, but they will have strong competition from teams like UAE Team Emirates-XRG, Alpecin-Deceuninck, and Ineos Grenadiers.
With cobbles, crosswinds, and the famous Muur van Geraardsbergen, the race is sure to provide an exciting start to the Classics season.
Main photo credit: Sprint Cycling Agency
