Remarkably, the King of the Flemish Classics, Tom Boonen, didn’t win the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, yet the race seems tailor made for him as it features short climbs, cobbles and a flat finale. Will 2016 be the year, Tom?
By the way, another king of the Flemish Classics, Fabian Cancellara, didn’t win the opening of the Openings Weekend either.
Of the active riders, only Philippe Gilbert (2006, 2008), Sebastian Langeveld (2011) and Sep Vanmarcke (2012) did win Omloop Het Nieuwsblad.
Favourites Omloop Het Nieuwsblad 2016:
*** Peter Sagan, Niki Terpstra, Alexander Kristoff, Jens Debusschere
** Fabian Cancellara, Tom Boonen, Philippe Gilbert, Tiesj Benoot
* Greg Van Avermaet, Tony Martin, Sebastian Langeveld, Tom Van Asbroeck
Omloop Het Nieuwsblad 2016: Route maps, height profiles, and more
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Route and profile Muur van Geraardsbergen
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Streetview Muur van Geraardsbergen
Muur van Geraardsbergen at strava.com
Route and profile Taaienberg
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Streetview Taaienberg
Taaienberg at strava.com