For the first time, Mathieu Van der Poel will be at the start of the Omloop Nieuwsblad tomorrow, the great opening classic of the Flemish calendar. Expectations are extremely high for the Dutchman, who has won 8 Monuments (2 Milan-San Remo, 3 Tour of Flanders and 3 Paris-Roubaix): with him on the start line, every race is different and can become unique.

«When I watched the Omloop on television, I told myself it was a shame not to be there» he explained at the opening of the press conference. On February 1st, VdP claimed his eighth, historic, cyclocross World Championship, then took a brief vacation period: «Obviously you don't completely lose your fitness, but to be honest I was a bit disappointed: I've always said I wanted to see how my body responded after the first period of road training, and now I feel my level is good enough to race the Omloop. I made the final decision on Monday».

From Ghent to Ninove, 207 kilometers with 9 Muur van Geraardsbergen climbs and 14 cobbled sectors: there will be Magnier and Philipsen, Girmay and Brennan, Pidcock and Wellens, Kung and Laporte. «“I'll say it again: I watched the race on TV these years and I was sorry not to be there. I've always had it in mind to race it, and if I were capable of winning it, it would be a beautiful race to add to my palmares. Racing one more day while thinking about the coming weeks is never a bad thing».

On Thursday, MVdP did a reconnaissance of the finale in the company of Olympic champion Greg Van Avermaet, gold at Rio 2016, who won the Omloop in 2016 and 2017. «“You ask me if I've learned enough? Well, it's not like I don't know the Flemish Ardennes... There's nothing that surprised me, but it was good to see the sequence of climbs again».

And as for how the race will unfold and the tactics, Van der Poel is realistic: «It's a hard race, but it often stays together because it's difficult to make big differences. The Muur (the iconic Geraardsbergen climb, ed.) and the Bosberg are important, but if the race is decided there tomorrow, we'll only know... tomorrow».

Alpecin-Premier Tech will also field Jasper Philipsen, third in 2025, alongside Van der Poel: «The pressure is not on my shoulders at all. I start every race with ambitions, but with Philipsen and Groves we have riders who can get over the climbs and win in a sprint. And that certainly creates tactical opportunities for us».

After the Omloop, Van der Poel will race Tirreno-Adriatico (March 9-15) and Milan-San Remo on Saturday, March 21, which he won in 2023 and 2025. Then the Northern classics: Friday, March 27 E3 Harelbeke, Sunday, March 29 In Flanders Fields (formerly Ghent-Wevelgem), Sunday, April 5 Tour of Flanders and Sunday, April 12 Paris-Roubaix. «My spring program has proven to be a winning recipe and I don't see why I should change it». He's absolutely right.