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Published on Thursday, 22 February 2018 17:13

Omloop Het Nieuwsblad

Sat 24th Feb 2018, 196kms

The season proper starts this weekend as far as most cycling fans are concerned, although we have seen some excellent racing and some superb performances already this year. 

Quick-Step Floors (11 wins), Team Sky (9), Mitchelton Scott (8), Trek Segafredo (6) and Lotto-Soudal (6) have all started the season in fantastic form, but in fact, most teams seem to be going really well, with only Sunweb yet to score a win this season. Elia Viviani, Peter Sagan, Greg Van Avermaet, Fernando Gaviria, Michal Kwiatkowski, Tim Wellens and Alejandro Valverde have all been on fire already this season and have whetted our appetites for what's to come this season.

We've had Chris Froome's anti-climactic return to cycling in the Ruta Del Sol, but that wasn't enough to detract from a seriously impressive victory for Tim Wellens. We've had Alexei Lutsenko upstaging his team-mate and favourite Miguel-Angel Lopez in Oman and we saw Michal Kwiatkowski stealing the Volta ao Algarve from his team-mate Geraint Thomas on the final stage. Dubai was boring, Valenciana was predictable with Valverde still winning at the ripe old age of 52 or something. 

And so we move on to the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and the start of the cobbled classics. This race used to be known as the 'Het Volk' back in the day, but is now named after the Het Nieuwsblad, a Belgian newspaper that is a geat supporter of racing in Belgium. Both races are hors d'ouevres to the cobbled classics to come, with lots of cobbles and climbs.

This year the Flanders Classics organisers have decided to try to revive 'the memory' of the old Tour of Flanders with a finish that takes in the Muur de Geraardsbergen and the Bosberg and finishes in Ninove. This finish was last used in the Ronde back in 2011 when Nick Nuyens took a surprise win for Saxo, ahead of Chavanel, Cancellara and Boonen. A lot of riders choose to ride in both races, although Saturday's Omloop is usually more suited to the punchier, stronger Classics men, whereas Sunday's KBK is usually one for the sprinters. 

This is a race where you usually have to watch the weather forecast carefully. If there is a danger the cobbled sections will be too dangerous, they change the route. In 2004 the course was deemed to be too dangerous and the race was cancelled entirely. In 2014 the race was nearly lost but went ahead, the Kuurne-Bruxelles-Kuurne on the Sunday didn't. 

The forecast for this Saturday isn't looking too bad at the moment, with no rain forecast at all for Saturday and in fact, none from Tuesday onwards, so the roads should be fine and dry. There will be a north-easterly wind of 11-14mph all day though, which will mean that they will have a head-wind for the last 25kms on the way back to the finish in Ninove which will have a big effect on the result of this race I believe. And it will be very, very cold... hovering just above freezing for most of the day, that will also have an effect on the result. 

But of course, given the nature of the course and the terrain, with the way the roads wind back and forth and around in so many different directions in the crucial second half of the race, there will be plenty of opportunities to split things in the cross-winds. 

It doesn't attract as many sprinters as Sunday's Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne, naturally given that it's a much tougher course over 13 hills and 12kms of cobbles, it's more one for the Flandrian hard-men. The KBK on Sunday has attracted a quality lineup of sprinters though, with Gaviria, Groenewegen, Démare, Colbrelli and Bennett. 

The Route

The route is quite similar to previous races, but there are a lot of different climbs and cobbled sections to last year and it has a very different ending with a run up the Mur de Geraardsbergen and the Bosberg before finishing in Merebeke, the old route of the Tour of Flanders. It is similar to last year's course in that it leaves Ghent and heads south towards the Flanders heartland around Oudenaarde. They hit the first cobbled stretch of the race at the Haaghoek 11kms later than last year after 62kms in that cluttered mess of roads in the middle of the map below (it's 2kms long).

They then head out on the orange circuit to the west and after 64kms they again hit the first Helingen at the Leberg (950m at 4.2%) and hit the second cobbled section after 92kms at the Huisepontweg (1800m). After that the hills and cobbled sections come thick and fast for the next 90kms, with the Haaghoek being passed a further two times along the way. 

The key section of the race is the 50kms between the Kokkerelle, which they climb after 131kms, and the Bosberg after 184kms. In between they tackle the Wolvenberg, Molenberg, Leberg, Berendries, Valkenberg and Tenbosse one after the other, spread almost exactly 6kms apart each time. The Leberg is the longest at 950m, but only averages 4.2%, the Valkenberg is the steepest at 8.1% but is only 540m long. 

After the Tenbosse they start on their straight-ish run for home, first running 10kms in an easterly direction, in to a head-wind until they reach Geraardsbergen and take on the infamous Muur van Geraarddsbergen (475m at 9.3%, max of 19.8%) with just 16kms to go.. This is going to have a big outcome on the race, compared to last year when they crossed it with just 81kms gone, it's steep and twisting and can blow a group to pieces in about 30 seconds. And if that wasn't enough to blow things up, they then face the Bosberg just 4kms later, a really nasty hill with 400m of cobbles (980m at 5.8%, max of 11%).  

They now head north-east in to the wind again for 7kms as far as Denderwindeke where they turn north and run along an almost dead-straight road for 3.5kms, descending gently all the while, until they reach Ninove with 1km to go. They turn right for 500m and in to the head-wind and then right again and on to the 500m finishing straight which climbs gently to the line on a nice, wide, well-surfaced road 

Contenders and Favourites

I know I shouldn't start with who isn't here, but the absence of Peter Sagan is a huge blow to the spectacle of the race for the organisers and fans, but a huge boon to all the other riders. Sagan has decided to spend extra time with his wife and new-born baby Marlon, and will return to action at Strade Bianche.

Despite Sagan's absence, it's a stellar lineup again for this race, with a mixture of riders coming back from riding Down Under, in the middle east, Andalucia and the Algarve, all eager to get racing in the season 'proper'. It's three weeks to Milan San Remo and five to the Tour of Flanders, so it starts getting serious as of this weekend.

175 riders in 25 teams - that's 1 rider less per team this year, or 25 riders less on the road than last year because of the new rules. There are four former winners of the race with Philippe Gilbert (x2), Greg Van Avermaet (x2), Sep Vanmarcke and Sebastian Langeveld, with Ian Stannard, who won in 2014 and 2015 sitting it out this year.. Matthew Hayman starts his 14th and Philippe Gilbert his 12th Omloop.

Van Avermaet and Gilbert are here to try to make it a hat-trick of wins on Saturday, joining an elite club of just three riders who have claimed three wins (Van Petegem, Bruyére and Sterckx), but historically, GVA would be the first to do it three times in a row.

You have to start with the Belgians this year though as I think they will really dominate this race this year. Greg Van Avermaet has beaten Peter Sagan in this race two years running, but on the old course.. How will he fare on this one with the finish up the Muur and the Bosberg? He for one is looking forward to it and it sounds like it holds no fears for him:

"The arrival in Ghent was sublime, but this is something a whole lot different. Every rider likes to ride the duo Muur-Bosberg. I grew up with climbs such as Berendries, Valkenberg, Tenbosse, Muur and Bosberg. In my opinion the final breakthrough will come a bit later in the race, but there are plenty opportunities to make the difference. That was not always the case on your way to Ghent the past few years as soon as you had passed the Molenberg. I'm really glad that the old finale of the Ronde is back in a WorldTour race. I'm looking forward to it"

He was just so strong last year, blowing the race apart with repeated digs and out-muscling Sagan in the uphill sprint, something you don't see very often. He took six victories in total in 2017, dominating the Spring Classics with wins in OHN, E3 Harelbeke, Gent Wevelgem and of course Paris-Roubaix. He was also first home after Gilbert in Flanders, who had managed to escape early on and catch them all by surprise.

He has started this season very well too with a superb win in Oman up the Dam, attacking powerfully and no-one could go with him.  That came a day after he admitted he started his sprint too soon and was out-done by Nathan Haas on the line. 

He also finished 4th on stage 4 in the reduced group after a tough day of climbing, GVA looks ready for this. And he has a superb team with him here too, with Jempy Drucker, Michael Schar, Nathan Van Hooydonck, Stefan Kung, new boy Jurgen Roelandts and Francesco Ventoso to look after him. Jempy Drucker might have his eyes on the next day's action at KBK, but Jurgen Roelandts seems to be in good form and could be a dark horse fall-back for them should anything happen to GVA, he recently won a stage in Valenciana, his first pro win in 5 years. 

I think GVA will be very hard to beat, he's going to be right at the front pushing things in the last 60kms, but it's from the Tenbosse onwards that we'll see who's boss. If there is a smallish front group still together coming in to the Muur and the Bosberg, I can't see many being still together coming out the other side to fight it out over the last 11kms. But 6/4 is very short with Bet365, he's even shorter at 11/8 with Ladbrokes. But hard to bet against him winning it.. 

His biggest danger could well be fellow Belgians on the Lotto-Soudal team, who have a massively powerful team here to try to do over GVA. Tiesj Benoot and Tim Wellens lead the way, but they are supported by a team that contains a number of other potential winners of races like this in Jelle Wallays, Jasper De Buyst, new boy Jens Keukeleire, Nikolas Maes, Lars Bak and Lawrence Naesen. 

Tim Wellens has been in superb form this season so far too, winning the TS de Tramuntana in January, outsprinting Gianni Moscon and finishing 24" ahead of Alejandro Valverde. His 3rd place finish in the Guardia de Jaen stage in stage 2 of the Ruta del Sol was almost as impressive as his win on stage 4, beating renowned climbers like Landa, Froome, Soler and Kruijswijk. But his win on the cobbled climb to Alcalá de los Gazules on stage 4 is what showed that he should be considered a strong favourite for this race. 

Landinio went hard on the cobbled climb, so hard that none of the other so-called climbers in the race could stay with him, including the Sky duo of Froome and Poels, but Wellens stuck to his wheel.. Landa pushed on, but with 275m to go, Wellens put the hammer down and got a small gap that he held to the line (below)

That was good enough to leap over a struggling Poels in the GC for a superb win for the Lotto man. If he can be there or thereabouts coming towards the last 20kms and goes for it on the Muur or the Bosberg, there will be very few left with him to fight it out over the last 10kms. 

Tiesj Benoot could well be there with him though, the young Belgian superstar certainly didn't let up last year after his break-through season in 2016, when he finished 3rd in this race and 7th in E3 Harelbeke. In 2017 he started the season with a 3rd in Trofeo Andratx and a fine 3rd on a tough stage of the Volta ao Algarve, but ran in to difficulties in the OHN and DNF'ed. He did return the next day though and take 4th in an elite group at KBK, followed that with 8th in Strade Bianche, took 7th in Dwaars Door Vlaanderen and 3rd in Brabantse Pijl. 

He has been to Sierra Nevada altitude training after the Tour de San Juan (where he finished 6th overall), copying a method of Peter Sagan, and he feels it will benefit him in the Sprint Classics. Born in Ghent, these are his roads, and he has a massive fan club in Ghent, many of the number being students at the Ghent University, where Benoot studies Economics. But, despite his progress, he has yet to win a race or even finish 2nd, he still has to develop a killer instinct. He is 28/1 with Skybet though and I'm sure he'll have plenty of backers.

And Jens Keukeleire deserves a mention too, he is a very good cobbled roads rider, finishing 12th in E3 last year and then causing all sorts of consternation in that amazing Gent Wevelgem 2 days later, and only for Greg Van Avermaet he'd have taken a win there. He has also finished 5th in Dwars Door in 2016 and 6th in Paris-Roubaix in 2015, but his record in this race and the Ronde isn't great, I'm not sure he likes the cobbled hellingens too much. 

Quick-Step Floors probably hold the next key to the race after BMC and Lotto Soudal, with a supremely talented and extremely powerful squad here. Double former winner Philippe Gilbert ('06 and '08) has had a pretty quiet start to the season, but did take 3rd in his first race, the Vuelta Ciclista in Murcia just two weeks ago and then had a good training spin in the Volta ao Algarve. He only finished 13th here last year, missing the main move of the day, but bounced back from that with a stunning run of results over 3 weeks from the 22nd March. 

First he was 2nd in Dwaars Door, 2nd in E3 Harelbeke, a stage win and the overall in the 3 days of De Panne, then won the Ronde Van Vlaanderen and the Amstel Gold. It was truly vintage Gilbert, his win in the Ronde being particularly impressive.

He DNFed here in 2016 and was 8th in 2015, but does this finish suit him more than before? I think it might well do - in the Ronde in 2011 he was 9th, just 5" behind Nuyens and in 2009 and 2010 he finished 3rd on this finish in the Ronde. He could well be one to stay with GVA and Wellens when they kick for home on the Muur and the Bosberg, but will he be able to out-gun them at the finish? It will be tough, both are in such great condition at the moment. 

He is backed up by a super squad though - Niki Terpstra has finished 2nd, 5th, 6th and 9th here over the years, but has been well off the pace in the last two years, he looks like being a worker on Sunday. Yves Lampaert did his first Omloop last year and finished 97th, but he did win the Dwaars Door last year in style by 39" from his team-mate Gilbert and has also won a stage of the 3 days of West Flanders in 2015. Zdenek Stybar is a former Strade Bianche winner and has won 3 stages of the Eneco Tour, the Binche-Chimay-Binche and has finished 2nd in Paris-Roubaix twice and E3 once. He's another potential winner of this race, if he wasn't riding for QSF. 

Fernando Gaviria is probably just here for a warm-up to KBK the next day, I'd be surprised to see him finish, and Ilio Keisse will probably be working for the team too. But Dries Devenyns is a dark horse for them as he has started the season really well and seems to be climbing strongly. He finished 5th overall in the TDU after some strong performances, including 4th on Willunga Hill, was 4th in the Cadel Evans and 6th overall in Oman after an impressive 8th place finish on Green Mountain. He has finished 8th in 2014, but that's the best he has managed, but he seems to be in great form this year and could be one to watch at bigger odds of 100/1 with Skybet.

AG2R aren't a team you would normally associate with the northern Classics, but they have a pretty decent team here again this year. Stijn Vandenbergh is a man very familiar with the roads and cobbles of Belgium. 2nd in 2013, 4th in 2015 in this race, 4th in the RVV in 2014, he has the power and experience to make a lot of the key moves in races like this, but I fear he will struggle on the Muur - he will ensure his team-mates are still in the race by then though.

Alexis Gougeard is still only 24, but looks like a quality rider in the making. 2nd in the Paris-Roubaix juniors in 2011 (behind Florian Senechal), he was 5th in this race two years ago after hanging on from the original break. He's got a lot of DNFs against his name though in races like this, and was well off the pace last year, so he can be quite hit and miss.

They also have Gediminas Bagdonas who could be a break candidate and a rider I picked out last year as a dark horse, Oliver Naesen. Naesen is from Ghent and know these roads intimately.. He said before about this race "“I live less than 40 minutes from Ghent where I went to school. I train every day on these roads. At Nieuwsblad, I finished 18th in my first participation in 2015. This time I would like to finish in the top-10. It is important to know how to conserve your resources, but also always to be present near the front between the 130th and 180th kilometer. After that, it is all a mental game because everyone is burnt." He finished 7th last year and 8th in KBK the next day.

The secret is out about him now though, no more 36/1 available on him, he's best price 18/1 this year with Corals, he was 20/1 with Bet365 but has been cut to 14/1 by now. His 6th in Dwaars Door, 3rd in E3 and the Belgian national championships win last year has put him right up in the Elite category now and he should be a big player in this race again this year. 

Team EF Cannondale have former winner Sebastian Langeveld here but it's been a long time since he's looked like winning a race like this, although he did finish 3rd in PR last year.. He'll probably be riding for Sep Vanmarcke though who holds their best chance of a good result I feel. Vanmarcke is also a former winner of this race too, winning in 2012, but also finished 3rd here last year for me at 16/1, he was no match for GVA or Sagan in a 3-man sprint unfortunately, and didn't have the balls to try to attack them in the run-in, despite knowing he had no chance in the sprint... 

He has also finished 2nd in Gent Wevelgem twice, 2nd in Paris Roubaix and 3rd twice in the Ronde. It's been almost two years though since he last won, and that was only a stage of the Ster ZLM Tour, and his last win before that was in Sept 2014.. How will he fare on the new finish here? Well, he DNF'ed in Flanders in 2011 and 61st in 2010, so it is inconclusive as to his chances here.

He might struggle on the Muur I think to stay with the more explosive guys, but if he can limit his losses he might be able to get back on before, or on the Bosberg. But he won't be winning a sprint.. If he wants to win here he'll need to escape long before the Muur and try to hold them all off, and I can't see that happening. Sacha Modolo has been going well this year, but it will be a big ask I think for him to be there at the finish, he might have more luck on Sunday. Tom Van Asbroeck did finish 14th here two years ago and 11th in DDV, but KBK looks to suit him more as his 4th place in 2015 will attest to. 

Team Sunweb are the only World Tour team to win a race this season, and they really only have outside chances with Michael Matthews, Edward Theuns and Soren Kragh Anderson. Michael Matthews usually starts his season later than this at races like Paris-Nice, we never really see him tackle the Flanders Classics.. So it's a bit of a surprise to see him lining up this year and starting his season so early. But it's his first race of the season though and it may well be just a warm-up for KBK the next day. 

Edward Theuns finished 8th here in 2016, part of a stellar year that year, but didn't have such a great season last year, but he did finish 8th in Paris-Roubaix. Soren Kragh Anderson was 26th last year and 16th in Gent Wevelgem and finished the season with a fine 2nd in Paris-Tours. I think it will take a lot of luck for any of the Sunweb squad to feature Sunday though. 

Astana could have some dark horses for this race too, especially considerting how well they have started the season, they have been flying. Vino must have them all on a new diet or something. Laurens de Vreese has been a workhorse for them for years but has finished 17th and 18th in the Ronde, but his best results in this race are 24th and 25th.

Alexey Lutsenko pulled off a shock in the Tour of Oman and left Miguel Angel Lopez's backers licking their wounds as he stole bonus seconds with 3rd place finishes on stages 2 and 3 (and a small time gap on 3), then stayed with his team-mate Lopez on Green Mountain to make it an Astana 1-2 on the stage and 1-2 on the GC. The way he flew up the Dam after GVA on stage 3 and the way he climbed Green Mountain shows that he has great legs so early in this season. It's his first time doing the OHN though and his record in GW and the Ronde isn't great, although he did finish 14th in Flanders two years ago. 

Laurens de Vreese has been a workhorse for them for years but has finished 17th and 18th in the Ronde, but his best results in this race are 24th and 25th. Magnus Cort Neilsen could well be a protected rider for them Saturday, he was 16th here last year. His record in other Flanders races is pretty average though, I won't be backing him. Oscar Gatto finished an impressive 5th here last year, leading home the Naesen group 52" down, he just missed the splits when they came like a lot of others. He has also finished 18th here twice, so knows how to get up and down the hills and over the cobbles. He has also finished 1st, 7th and 8th in Dwars Door Vlaanderen and generally tends to finish his races, so could be one to look for in a matchbet scenario.   

And not forgetting Michael Valgren - 2nd in Amstel Gold in 2016, 11th in the Ronde last year, he has the profile of someone who could pull it all together one day and go well in a race like this. He was only 30th last year though, so I won't be backing him just yet either. 

Trek have a few lively outsiders too in Jasper Stuyven, Fabio Felline and Giacomo Nizzolo. Jasper Stuyven has won KBK from a break in 2016 and has finished 2nd in KBK also last year. He's also finished 4th in Paris Roubaix last year and 5th in E3 in 2016 and has finished 8th and 9th here in the last two years. He's got a superb engine on him and is good at positioning in the crucial moments of races like this, but will he be able to stay with the fastest guys up the Muur? If he can, he has a chance of attacking away in the run in when the likes of GVA and Wellens are looking at each other. 

Fabio Felline (left) finished a superb 4th here last year, coming home on his own 45" behind the winners, then finished 11th in E3, 13th in Strade Bianche and 16th in LBL, a very strong run of results in the hilly Classics. He will have his work cut out to stay with the strongest guys here, but he nearly did last year and if he can just get over the Muur close to the leaders he might have a chance of catching them on the Bosberg and could fight out the finish, he's not got a bad kick on him.

And Giacomo Nizzolo would have the best finishing sprint of the three of them, but it's getting to the finish in a position to win it from a sprint is going to be a big challenge for him. 

Sonny Colbrelli might go well for Bahrain Merida, he seems to have started the season in good form, and won well on the Dam in the Dubai Tour. He has only done this race once though, last year, when he finished only 35th, but he is a winner of Brabantse Pijl, which has its fair share of cobbles and hills. I think this might be just a bit too hard for him in the last 30kms or so though. I can't see anyone else for Bahrain causing any problems. Same goes for Bora Hansgrohe, Marcus Burghardt is their leader, but he's not going to be beating the likes of GVA or Wellens here. 

FDJ's hopes probably lie with Arnaud Démare, but he's bound to find trouble like he usually does, he has better chances Sunday. Otherwise Antoine Duchesne or Ramon Sinkeldam might go well too. Mitchelton Scott will be looking to Matteo Trentin and Matthew Hayman. Trentin has finished 3rd in E3 in 2015, 13th in the Ronde last year and 9th in this race last year too, but could well be just warming up for KBK, where he finished 5th last year. Matthew Hayman is a former Paris-Roubaix winner and has finished 3rd here back in 2011. He has also finished 3rd in Dwars Door and 4th in Gent Wevelgem, he's a real veteran of these races. He didn't have a great year last year though, and at 39, age might be finally catching up with him. 

Cofidis might have a few outsiders in Bert Van Lerberghe, Kenneth Vanbilsen, Christophe Laporte and Dimitri Claeys. Claeys did finish 12th here two years ago but actually won the Espoirs version of this race two years running in 2013 and 2014 and was 2nd in 2015, and 3rd in 2012 - a tremendous record. At 400/1 I'm having a little interest on him. 

Dimension Data have Edvald Boasson Hagen, but although he had a pretty solid season last year he didn't do great in the Classics, and I'm not sure he's cut out for this race Sunday either and I can't see any of the rest of the team doing anything. Dylan Van Baarle is the only rider I think will come close for Sky, but even at 50/1 I'm not really interested.

LottoNL-Jumbo have an interesting squad here, but I have a sneaking feeling they will be looking after themselves to try to deliver a victory for Dylan Groenewegen on Sunday. Timo Roosen was in great form in Dubai, sprinting up the Dam to 3rd place to help him to 7th overall, but this is a different matter entirely.. He has finished 14th in the Espoirs version in 2014 though and 18th in the Elite version last year, so he might be there or thereabouts. 

I can't see anyone from Katusha, Fortuneo-Samsic, Roompot, Sport Vlaanderen, Vital Concept or Verandas coming close to winning either, except Wout Van Aert might go ok, he's only 23 but a superstar in the making, he finished 4th in the Espoirs version in 2015 and is a natural on roads like this. But 66/1 on his first big Classic race is a bit short for me.  

Conclusion:

Greg Van Avermaet wins, right?  It is the most likely scenario and the bookies are running scared from him.. 6/4 best price for him, suggesting he has a 40% chance of winning. And really, barring an accident or an untimely puncture, he will probably win. Is he worth backing? Some will say yes, I'm not so sure at that price, anything can happen in this sort of race and there is a lot of competition for him.. and who knows, someone might do a Cancellara on the Muur and find another gear from somewhere and ride away from him. Unlikely, but it could happen. the only way that you could get some value from it is if you put him in a double with your fancy for KBK on Sunday to make it a bit more interesting. Take Groenewegen (spoiler) for example, he has a big chance Sunday I think, a double on him and GVA pays 21.5/1 with 365. 

So who is worth taking him on with? Well the Lotto Soudal boys should be his main opposition here you'd think, but which one of the two of them do you go for? Wellens is 14/1, Benoot is 25/1, almost twice his price. Has he twice the chance of winning this than Benoot? Probably not, but I would definitely pick him ahead of his younger team-mate, who will be winning this race in 3-4 years I believe. I think Wellens will be one of the few to stay with GVA on all the key parts of the race, and could even attack him on the Bosberg. He looked very strong in Andalucia. I think the 14/1 will pay some dividends as I could see him coming home alone with GVA, or maybe with just one or two others. 

Dimitri Claeys is a huge 400/1 with Bet365, 100/1 elsewhere, I'm having a bit of that, and Dries Devenyns at 100/1 with Skybet is crying out to be backed, he's only 40/1 with Corals, 66/1 with 365. Oliver Naesen should be in the vanguard of this race too come the last 30kms and I think he has a big chance of a big result Sunday too. Best price is 18/1 though, half the price he was last year. And finally, I'm going to give Fabio Felline a chance to go one better than his 4th place last year at a big-looking 80/1. For fun, I'm doubling GVA with Groenewegen in KBK and Naesen with Trentin.. 

Recommendations:

1pt e/w on Tim Wellens at 14/1 with Skybet

0.2pts e/w on Dimitri Claeys at 400/1 with 365

0.2pts e/w on Dries Devenyns at 100/1 with Skybet

0.5pts e/w on Oliver Naesen at 18/1 with Corals

0.3pts e/w on Fabio Felline at 80/1 with Skybet

GVA to win Omloop and Groenewegen to win KBK - 1pt win at 21.5/1 with Bet365

Naesen to win Omloop and Trentin to win KBK - 0.2pt e/w at 360/1 with Corals 

Match Bets 

Wellens to beat Lutsenko - 3pts at evens (really can't believe Lutsenko is favourite to win this matchbet)

Van Avermaet to beat Gilbert and Benoot to beat Valgren - 2pts at evens

Terpstra to beat Stybar - 2pts at 5/6

This season I am also going to be naming my top ten riders to watch in some races, for those of you out there that like playing Fantasy Cycling games. With the Zweeler cycling games you can play for cash prizes!

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Here's my ten to watch for the Omloop Het Niewsblad

1 Greg Van Avermaet

2 Tim Wellens

3 Fabio Felline

4 Tiesj Benoot

5 Oliver Naesen

6 Philippe Gilbert

7 Dimitri Claeys

8 Sep Vanmarcke

9 Nikki Terpstra

10 Oscar Gatto

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