Opening Weekend supplied affirmation of some issues that we would have already got guessed, nevertheless it additionally raised loads of little query marks for the Classics nonetheless forward. Though some prime riders had been lacking, like Mathieu van der Poel and Mads Pedersen, it was nonetheless an fascinating two days of racing at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne. And now it’s going to be thrilling to see the way it all develops.
In step with the pattern of current years, these races are opening up earlier and earlier, with huge assaults coming from distance. Up to now, you might say Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne was extra of a race for sprinters, however on Sunday, the successful transfer went clear with virtually 90km to go. It’s loopy how early every thing goes now, and in races and conditions like these, I feel you really want a powerful group round you.
On that notice, Visma-Lease A Bike had been the dominant group. Like final 12 months, they gained each races, this time with Jan Tratnik and Wout van Aert. I feel they proved that they’ve the strongest group they usually confirmed that they’re going to have the strongest line-up on the Classics. They’ve constructed a terrific roster of riders for these races.
However regardless that that they had one other very profitable weekend, they weren’t flawless. Visma-Lease A Bike are on the very prime of the sport with regards to issues like diet and coaching, they’re main the way in which in these departments. However tactics-wise and racing-wise, they are not any completely different to the others.
At Omloop, they seemed in an ideal place with three riders in a break of six and, by some means, they nonetheless virtually misplaced the race when all of it got here again collectively over the Muur. All of us thought the race was over at a sure level, however then it practically ended up as a bunch dash.
Within the finale, Tratnik was capable of seize maintain of the scenario for Visma once more and win the race, however I wasn’t sure about their technique earlier than that, when Van Aert was within the break with Matteo Jorgenson and Christophe Laporte.
It was comprehensible that they began attacking the opposite riders within the transfer – Arnaud De Lie, Tom Pidcock and Toms Skuijns – however I’m unsure if Jorgenson was the fitting rider to ship up the street. He went, however he didn’t actually go in a means that stated, ‘Okay, I’m gone.’ It was extra like he was driving as bait in entrance, perhaps ready for any individual to affix him. I’d have anticipated Laporte to be the rider to assault earlier than the Muur, as a result of Jorgenson didn’t look as easy as him.
Visma-Lease A Bike confirmed their collective power this weekend, however they will additionally destroy themselves. They actually need to race collectively as a group, they should collaborate.
They’ve received loads of prime riders on the group who’ve already gained Classics earlier than, in different phrases, like Dylan van Baarle, Tiesj Benoot, Laporte and Van Aert. Now we are able to add Tratnik to that checklist, so let’s see if he has ambitions to go for the subsequent races himself or if he’s pleased simply to journey for others. That’s a query going ahead – how will they divide the races between them and the way will they resolve the techniques?
The opposite fascinating query is Van Aert’s schedule for the subsequent few weeks. Normally, Tirreno or Paris-Good is the place to go in March to develop the legs and see the situation evolve, however Wout goes to coach at altitude as an alternative. He gained’t race once more till E3 Harelbeke, and he’s lacking Strade Bianche and Milan-San Remo too. I don’t know if this appropriate or not, nevertheless it’s definitely a special and new preparation.
One factor I can guess is that he’ll be going very deep in coaching. I didn’t race Opening Weekend very a lot in my profession, I normally most popular to skip it, like Van der Poel and Pedersen have executed this 12 months. When Omloop and Kuurne had been happening, I’d be at dwelling coaching, and I knew I needed to go deep these days, as a result of my rivals had been going deep in these races.
That was my motivation to exit for six or seven hours, both motor pacing or on the climbs in my area. I successfully raced my very own race in coaching, perhaps inflicting extra ache on myself that I’d have executed within the race. In a means, it was a little bit of psychological coaching too.
Tudor gaining expertise and making an impression
This 12 months, I used to be in Belgium for Opening Weekend, in fact, as a result of Tudor Professional Biking Crew was racing Omloop and Kuurne for the primary time. I used to be very proud for our organisation to be there, however that is just the start of the journey that we’re on. We didn’t search for invites in 2023 for structural causes and since we’re trying to develop steadily, however we’ll be racing quite a bit on the cobbles this 12 months.
We got here away with prime 10 finishes in every of the races – Matteo Trentin was ninth at Omloop and Marius Mayrhofer was ninth in Kuurne – and we additionally got here away with loads of classes realized about competing in Belgium on the cobbles, which is essential for a group with so many younger guys.
These aren’t simply common bike races, there are such a lot of particulars you could find out about positioning, the parcours, the wind course and so forth, so this was a very huge expertise for them. The early break up at Omloop was an enormous lesson about biking on the highest degree. And when the race got here again collectively, it was one other lesson – the race isn’t over till the end line.
On Sunday, perhaps a number of the guys paid a bit for the fatigue of Omloop, and we weren’t within the entrance group. Perhaps the fatigue was greater than they anticipated, however that was additionally expertise. I used to be there to help the boys with my very own expertise – not of successful, however simply of all the essential stuff about racing in Belgium.
The important thing factor now’s that they digest the expertise of Opening Weekend in a constructive means and construct on it, so that they’ll be prepared for the subsequent races. We’ll be at Strade Bianche subsequent weekend after which Tirreno-Adriatico, and we’ll even be again in Belgium for E3 Harelbeke, and people are greater and tougher races.
Matteo isn’t but on the extent the place he desires to be, however we’re engaged on that, and the group additionally carried out nicely on the UAE Tour, so we’re trying ahead to what’s coming. We’ve already received over 1,000 UCI factors, far more than final 12 months, however whereas the rating is necessary, we’re excited about far more than outcomes and need to race with a unified, daring strategy.
It’s additionally good that individuals are paying attention to what we’re doing, together with Wout van Aert. He isn’t going to depart Visma any time quickly, in fact, however final week, Het Nieuwsblad requested him the place he would signal if he ever needed to make a change. Wout named Tudor and Uno-X, pointing to our construction and our give attention to creating riders. I take that as a praise. It exhibits that we work correctly, and that we’ve got a plan and a imaginative and prescient.
