The Omloop Het Nieuwsblad kicks off the classics season

The arrival of the month of March means the dispute of the so-called opening weekend of the Belgian classics, which begins with the dispute, on Saturday, March 1, of the Omloop Het Niewsblad or, in other words, a mini Tour of Flanders in its purest essence, as this classic includes the ascent to the mythical Kapelmuur and the traditional finish in the streets of Ninove.

Favorites to win the Omloop Het Niewsblad 2025

As is customary in this first major classic of the season, it is difficult to make predictions since we have not yet seen the usual contenders show their cards. However, being present at the start, it is inevitable to bet on Wout van Aert, who, despite not showing enough speed during the Volta ao Algarve in the mass sprints in which he has been involved, his notable position in the time trial that closed the race indicates that his form is good and that, obviously, on the cobbles he becomes one of the top favorites.

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It will be interesting to see the role that the Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe men can play with the duo Jan Tratnik, let's not forget that the Slovenian is the current winner of this race; and Oier Lazkano, the two great reinforcements of the German team with whom they intend to become references in this classics season.

In the absence of Van der Poel, Alpecin-Deceuninck will rely everything on the strength of Jasper Philipsen. We also cannot forget about Biniam Girmay, who has been showing himself in the mass sprints of last week in Algarve and promises to be the cyclist who amazed us in Gent-Wevelgem three years ago.

We must also keep an eye on always tough riders like Jhonatan Narváez or Jasper Philipsen. Finally, another super-classic rider that we can never forget to mention is someone like Tom Pidcock who, despite not being in his element on the cobbles, surely arrives in Belgium ready to show why Q36.5 deserved the invitation to this race.

Route of Omloop Het Niewsblad 2025

Faithful to its route, the Omloop Het Niewsblad offers us one of the best selections of climbs, both asphalt and cobblestone, that mark the Flemish Ardennes, the epicenter of world cycling throughout the month of March.

In this 2025 edition, the race covers 197 kilometers, starting in Ghent and finishing in the small town of Ninove, formerly the finish of the Tour of Flanders. In between, the cyclists will have to tackle 9 climbs, all of them selective, including tough ones like the Molenberg or the Berendries, and of course, the classic final combination of the Muur-Kapelmuur and the Bosberg that usually provide exciting chases towards the finish line.

How to watch Omloop Het Niewsblad 2025

From 1:30 pm and beyond 4 pm, Eurosport will offer full coverage of Omloop Het Niewsblad, both through its Eurosport 2 channel, available on almost all television platforms, and directly through Max, the platform where Eurosport has been integrated since last year, in this case without commercial interruptions.

This coverage will include a late-night replay and in the following days for those who have not been able to watch the live broadcast of the race.