Brace yourself. I'm going to suggest something that may shock you. But bear with me, knowing what you know of my sound logic and true passion for the sport.
In my humble opinion, the cycling calendar, and Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, are no longer 'seeing eye to eye.' It’s complicated. Maybe they need to ‘be on a break.’ In short what I’m saying is, maybe Opening Weekend, as a concept, is outdated, and no longer serving the same purpose it once did. Or at the very least, perhaps it could use something of a shift – a reboot, if you will?
BURN THE HERETIC!! I hear you cry. CHANGE IS BAD, OK?!! Listen, I get it. History and all that, and yes, it's been this way for a long time. For what is sport, if not for a group of carefully cultivated traditions that have been nurtured over the years to shape our expectation and enjoyment? It means something. I know. The anticipation, the countdown – I’m just as excited as you are, believe me.
BUT. Just because something has always been a certain way, isn’t it worth considering, what could be an even better way? To illustrate the point, consider the current shape of the early season, both for men and women.
For the men, it's been all systems go, on several fronts, for a number of weeks already. For the women, we have had a few teasers of what's to come, though the bulk of the racing is yet to come. The schedules are necessarily different, but they follow loosely the same pattern:
Both seasons began in Australia, which I personally love to see. It’s a chance for the Antipodean contingent to showcase their sport in front of the home fans, and the races are always incredibly well organised and supported. The pelotons head back via the Middle East, which is... well, problematic but entertaining in some respects.
And then we're in Spain and Portugal, and a dash of France for good measure, with a cluster of one-day races and stage races that allow the respective bunches to test their racing legs, while building towards their key goals later in the season. For me, to take a quick sojourn away from the relatively temperate climes of the Iberian Peninsula, or even the Canary Islands where many have been on training camp, to freeze one's metaphorical (or literal) ass off for one weekend in Belgium, before returning to Italy to begin the Italian racing block – feels somewhat at odds with the flow of the calendar – especially for the women’s peloton, which is much smaller and must choose carefully, which races each squad will target.
For the men and the women – now that their version of Milano-Sanremo has evened up the equation – the Italian spring block is frankly one of the coolest, most fun, exciting and beautiful racing blocks of the year. Combined with Paris-Nice and heading into other week-long stage races in Spain for the non-Classics bunch, that is what the bulk of March is made of.
THEN come the cobbles and the grim spring of Belgium. Hey, if you're a purist and love your flahutes you know it's actually often tougher to race there in April than it is in February.
Then off for a little warm up in the hills of the Ardennes, to transition us to Grand Tour season.
OK. I’ll play devil's advocate for a second and go against my own argument. Of course, the racing is great prep for the Classics riders. And it's good to mix things up and get a little crazy, why not do a stage race in Portugal then rush off to ride some cobbles then back to Italy, because CYCLISMO am I right? And did I mention TRADITION, for goodness sake?!
On the flip side, many a riders Classics season has begun and ended on the cobbles of Omloop, and isn't it better to keep the body warm, healthy, and training, if the cobbles are really your main target, than risk illness from the sudden switch in climate, or injury on the unforgiving parcours, on the first Classic of the season? Especially when you consider the manic energy that’s always present in the early season races, everyone already desperate for a bite of the early season cherry – particularly on the men’s side, where the fight for UCI points reaches its crescendo this year, the end of the three-year cycle for the awarding and renewal of World Tour licenses.
It's clear looking through the startlists that many riders feel the same. The likes of Lotte Kopecky – twice winner at Omloop – Elisa Longo Borghini, and Marianne Vos leave Omloop off their schedules this year, despite the fact they would all be instant favourites to win the race, not to mention Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig, whose entire season was ruined after a crash there in 2024. While there are numerous smaller build-up races for the riders who are really focused on the Classics, they still don’t begin until the end of March, leading nicely into the biggest cobbled races.
So what do you say? Shake it up, UCI, streamline the calendar, and give the cobbles their Opening Weekend, but make us wait a little longer. Let’s start the weekend after Milano-Sanremo, and make a month of it. And have a lovely time in Italy in the meantime.
NEXT UP: A three-part preview of Women’s Classics Season, beginning with the Italian block of racing, up next week!
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