The team many expected to dominate the cobbled Classics season did exactly that at the traditional season-opening Omloop Het Nieuwsblad. But it wasn't Visma-Lease a Bike star Wout van Aert, European Champion Christophe Laporte, or last year's winner, Dylan van Baarle, who came away with the win. Instead, Visma delivered its result with Jan Tratnik, who slipped away late with UAE Team Emirates' Nils Politt and easily took a two-up sprint for what he called "maybe the biggest [win] in my life, for sure.
"[I was surprised] a little bit because we have such a strong team for the Classics," Tratnik said immediately after the finish. "In the past I didn't do much in the Classics."
- Visma looked in control much of the day, getting the core of its team into the early wind-forced split that developed with more than 120 km to go, and then steadily whittling down the front of the field until it was a select group of six, with three Visma riders: Van Aert, Laporte, and Matteo Jorgenson. With the field a minute back, Jorgenson slipped off the front in a quiet moment before the Kapelmuur and quickly got a gap. But what looked like a sure win for Visma's new American signee ended up crumbling as the peloton's Second Group Syndrome gave way to a spirited chase that brought the race back together right on the final cobbled climb, the Bosberg.
- With a large group together and past all the difficulties, a sprint looked likely until it was Tratnik with the unlikely move, covered only by Politt. Lotto Dstny led a frantic chase but, without the help of the strongest team in the field, the lead duo stayed clear, with Politt leading out Tratnik for what ended up being an easy win.
- Another highly scrutinized Classics team, Soudal-Quick Step, had a much less successful day. After a stressful week dominated by Patrick Lefevere's controversial comments about Julian Alaphilippe (and the reaction to said comments), the two-time former World Champion suffered several crashes that left him well out of contention. Former Tour of Flanders winner Kasper Asgreen was also involved in a late crash, while Gianni Moscon, the only Soudal rider other than Asgreen who made the various selections, faded on the Molenberg climb. Alaphilippe DNF'd, while the team's best finisher was Yves Lampaert, well back in the bunch sprint in 21st.
Opening Weekend analysis
- As expected, Visma wasted no time getting its first win of the Classics season. In doing so, the team displayed the remarkable depth that makes them such a tough opponent in one-day racing. From the initial split to the final move, Visma was always active and present at the sharp end of the race. Still, things almost fell apart when Jorgenson's bold move was re-caught and the peloton finally made contact after a long and at-times fruitless chase. Tratnik – a strong rider who was nevertheless roughly the fourth option for Visma – made a canny attack that left other riders stuck. If they covered, they risked dragging Van Aert and Laporte with them. And sure enough, Van Aert finished off the sprint to lead the field home for the final podium spot, with Laporte in fifth. Visma seems to only get deeper with each passing year.
- That said, the win in many ways raises the pressure on the team. Visma has not lacked for cobbled wins the past few seasons, and seems to delight in spreading the wealth outside of its star rider, Van Aert. But an Opening Weekend victory only heightens the expectations for the Monuments to come next month, in particular Flanders and Paris-Roubaix.
- Spare a thought for Tratnik's tactical smarts. Not only did he pick a perfect moment to attack, but in the sprint, Politt said he was foxed a bit by the Slovenian. "He was playing a little bit with me," Politt said to TV reporter Renaat Schotte. "He was saying, 'I can't really pull,' so I had to go from the front." Politt nonetheless seemed pretty happy with second place and said he's encouraged by his early form.
- Lotto Dstny was all in on the Arnaud De Lie plan. The 21-year-old sprinter and Classics specialist looked to improve on his second-place finish here last year and was in fantastic position to do so until the late catch. His team's furious chase in the final came to naught, but De Lie will certainly be among at least the outside threats for Milan-San Remo in a few weeks after some prep at Paris-Nice.
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