Let’s leave the deserts of the middle east and the sun-soaked southern hemisphere of Australia for some traditional, attritional, hardman cycling. Omloop Het Neuwsblad rolls out on Saturday and with it heralds the arrival of the long-awaited spring classics. Expect: cobbles, short and sharp climbs, rain, sleet, mud and pure grit. It’s time to go into battle.
Read MoreGet Set for the Spring Classics!
The European racing season is up and running! This weekend the curtain was raised when 199 riders set off from Ghent, the heartland of Belgian cycling, for the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad. Crowds and a hint of warm spring sunshine along with the whiff of yeasty beer greeted the peloton packed with stars, including Peter Sagan. The reigning World Champion was part of a breakaway that the peloton was unable to reel in but he was beaten to the finish by Belgium’s own Greg Van Avermaet of BMC Racing.
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