An ultra-full EUROTRASH Monday with reports and results from the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne, UAE Tour, O Gran Camiño, Faun Ardèche Classic and Faun Drôme Classic, all with video.
2023 race schedules for Van Aert, Evenepoel and Pogačar –
Rider news: Egan Bernal question mark for Paris-Nice, Tom Pidcock considering Paris-Roubaix, Sonny Colbrelli handing-out bottles in Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, Allan Peiper on Tadej Pogačar, painful injury for Jakob Fuglsang, Sam Oomen suffers shoulder blade fracture, Fabio Jakobsen think Paris-Roubaix suits him better than Milan-Sanremo and Gianni Moscon skips cobbled Classics.
Team news: AG2R Citroën to Le Samyn.
Race news: World Cup cyclocross back in Benidorm for 2024, Milano-Torino: A chance for the sprinters and Paris-Nice 2023 revving up for the battle.
Plus On The Wheel is back for 2023, video series by Jayco AlUla.
PezCycling News
EUROTRASH Monday: All the First Classic Weekend Cycling News
Read the latest from the peloton
By Alastair Hamilton on February 27, 2023
An ultra-full EUROTRASH Monday with reports and results from the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne, UAE Tour, O Gran Camiño, Faun Ardèche Classic and Faun Drôme Classic, all with video.
2023 race schedules for Van Aert, Evenepoel and Pogačar –
Rider news: Egan Bernal question mark for Paris-Nice, Tom Pidcock considering Paris-Roubaix, Sonny Colbrelli handing-out bottles in Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, Allan Peiper on Tadej Pogačar, painful injury for Jakob Fuglsang, Sam Oomen suffers shoulder blade fracture, Fabio Jakobsen think Paris-Roubaix suits him better than Milan-Sanremo and Gianni Moscon skips cobbled Classics.
Team news: AG2R Citroën to Le Samyn.
Race news: World Cup cyclocross back in Benidorm for 2024, Milano-Torino: A chance for the sprinters and Paris-Nice 2023 revving up for the battle.
Plus On The Wheel is back for 2023, video series by Jayco AlUla.
Omloop coffee time.
TOP STORY: 2023 Race Schedules for Wout van Aert, Remco Evenepoel and Tadej Pogačar
Wout van Aert Race Program:
Wout van Aert wants to win a monument in 2023. The Jumbo-Visma all-rounder is once again aiming at the great Classics in race schedule this year. Here is Wout van Aert’s race program here.
Wout van Aert Race Schedule:
06-03 – 12-03 Tirreno-Adriatico
18-03 Milano-Sanremo
24-03 E3 Saxo Classic
26-03 Gent-Wevelgem
02-04 Ronde van Vlaanderen
09-04 Paris-Roubaix
11-06 – 18-06 Tour de Suisse
01-07 – 23-07 Tour de France
06-08 UCI World Championships – Road Race.
A Monument for Van Aert in 2023?
Remco Evenepoel’s Race Program:
Again in 2023 a lot of eyes will be on Remco Evenepoel, especially now that he is wearing the rainbow jersey. The world champion has made the Giro d’Italia his first major main goal, but will want to show sooner. This is the program of the Soudal Quick-Step leader.
Remco Evenepoel Race Schedule:
20-02 – 26-02 UAE Tour
20-03 – 26-03 Volta Ciclista A Catalunya
12-04 The Brabant Arrow – La Flèche Brabançonne
23-04 Liège-Bastogne-Liège
06-05 – 28-05 Giro d’Italia
29-07 Donostia San Sebastian Klasikoa
07-10 Il Lombardia.
What next for Evenepoel?
Tadej Pogačar’s Race Program:
For Tadej Pogačar, 2023 is partly about revenge for the Tour de France and also the Tour of Flanders. The Slovenian UAE Team Emirates all-rounder wants to show well in several races. Here is his race program.
Tadej Pogačar Race Schedule:
05-03 – 12-03 Paris-Nice
18-03 Milano-Sanremo
29-03 Across Flanders
02-04 Ronde van Vlaanderen
16-04 Amstel Gold Race
19-04 La Flèche Wallonne
23-04 Liege-Bastogne-Liege
14-06 – 18-06 Tour of Slovenia
01-07 – 23-07 Tour de France
Revenge for Pogačar?
Omloop Het Nieuwsblad – Men 2023
Dylan van Baarle won the 2023 Omloop Het Nieuwsblad. The Dutchman of Jumbo-Visma set up a leading group 40 kilometres from the finish, then went solo at the foot of the Muur van Geraardsbergen to finish alone in Ninove. Arnaud De Lie was second and Christophe Laporte third.
The riders had to cover 207.3 kilometres, but the final really started at 53 kilometres from the finish, after the Wolvenberg. In the finalé there was the iconic duo of the Muur van Geraardsbergen and the Bosberg. From the Bosberg there was only 12 kilometres to the finish in Ninove.
In the first hour a leading group of seven escaped: Louis Blouwe (Bingoal WB), Gilles De Wilde, Alex Colman (Flanders Baloise) and Jelle Wallays (Cofidis). They were joined by Adam de Vos (Human Powered Health), Mathis Le Berre (Arkéa-Samsic) and Mathias Norsgaard (Movistar). Christopher Juul-Jensen (Jayco AlUla), also tried to cross, but was trapped between break and peloton. The attackers gained a lead of more than 8 minutes, where BORA-hansgrohe, Groupama-FDJ and Jumbo-Visma did the work. There was also a crash involving Michael Schär (AG2R Citroën) and Ben Turner (INEOS Grenadiers), with some others. Both had to abandon. It wasn’t long before the race exploded. With 100 kilometres to go, Jumbo Visma put the pressure on, causing splits in the peloton. A group of fourteen riders got away, with six Jumbo team riders: Tiesj Benoot, Christophe Laporte, Tim van Dijke, Jan Tratnik, Nathan Van Hooydonck and Dylan van Baarle. Only Edoardo Affini from the team was not involved. Fred Wright, Pascal Ackermann, Marco Haller, Daan Hoole, Kelland O’Brien, Magnus Sheffield and Connor Swift went with them.
This group didn’t stay together for long, because Van Hooydonck, Tratnik, Wright, Haller, O’Brien and Swift rode away. The remaining eight fell back to the peloton, the rest chased the early escapees, although they never caught them. They got within a minute and a half, but thanks to the work of Soudal Quick-Step, the peloton pulled them in with 65 kilometres to go. Just before that, Tim Declercq and Nils Eekhoff crashed, but both were able to continue. At 55 kilometres from the finish there was a sprint to the Holleweg, the last cobbled section before the Wolvenberg. Van Baarle was briefly held up, but his problem wasn’t too bad compared to that of Arnaud De Lie. The 20-year-old Belgian, one of the main favourites for the win, crashed just after the Wolvenberg. He seemed to be unharmed, but he had to change bikes and then had to chase. With the help of some teammates, he was able to return to the peloton.
There was another crash. This time it was Laurenz Rex (Intermarché-Circus-Wanty) and Jasper De Buyst (Lotto Dstny) who were the biggest victims. The two Belgians remained at the side of the road. Just before the Molenberg, Anthony Turgis and Alex Colman hit the road. The Colman had dropped back from the leading group, which still consisted of Wallays, Le Berre and Norsgaard. They were caught by the peloton on the Molenberg, where first Nathan Van Hooydonck and then Christophe Laporte attacked. There was now a leading group of about 25 riders, including De Lie and Van Baarle. Van Baarle put in a big attack and was joined by Jonathan Milan, Florian Vermeersch and Le Berre from the earlier break. Kevin Geniets and Jasper Stuyven put in a counter-attack, later followed by Nils Eekhoff, Rui Oliveira, Jan Tratnik and Brent Van Moer. The last two didn’t cooperate, so it was back together again on the Berendries. Greg Van Avermaet accelerated there, but that didn’t cause the final split. There were differences in the leading group. Milan had to pass and then, at the Vossenhol, Vermeersch also broke under Van Baarle’s power. Surprisingly, Le Berre, winner of the Tour of Normandy last year, was able to hold on. In the meantime there were accelerations in the peloton from Tim Wellens and Stefan Küng, but Jumbo-Visma neutralised every move. It was then Bahrain Victorious that brought the speed back up.
Le Berre initially worked with Van Baarle, but after all the work he had already done in the break, he remained in the wheel. They were still together at the foot of the Muur van Geraardsbergen, with a lead of 30 seconds on the peloton, which Vermeersch and Milan had regained. It was eventually too much for Le Berre. The 21 year-old Frenchman had to let Van Baarle go. Wellens and Matej Mohorič were first to pass him and shortly afterwards De Lie and Laporte. The four got together on the descent. Van Baarle still had about 15 seconds in the run-up to the Bosberg. It looked like the four chasers were getting closer, but at the foot of the climb the difference was quite stable. The Dutchman had lost none of his advantage or his strength by the summit and then took more time on his pursuers, where Laporte was slowing the chase. In the final towards Ninove, the peloton slowly got closer to the Laporte, De Lie, Mohorič and Wellens group. Van Baarle was out of reach. The 30 year-old, who was riding his first race for Jumbo-Visma, was able to celebrate his victory on the Elisabethlaan. The four pursuers were caught on the finish line, but De Lie and Laporte still managed to sprint to second and third place.