There was once a certain kick back within the air as lovers hurriedly made their manner in the course of the streets of Gent at the first chilly however vivid Saturday of March. Omloop Het Nieuwsblad marks the beginning of the Eu Classics season, one of the thrilling sessions within the WorldTour race calendar. The lads’s race kicked off first simply after 11 am, adopted afterward by means of the ladies’s race.
Omloop starts subsequent to the well-known ‘t Kuipke Velodrome in Gent and takes position in an previous airplane hangar-style construction subsequent door. The huge curved ceiling we could in mild, however it is nonetheless a bit dingy within the a long way corners. Ahead of lengthy, the staff buses and vehicles are pulling in, racking up the staff motorcycles and making their ultimate arrangements because the riders signal on and get ready for the race.
(Symbol credit score: Tom Wieckowski)
Nearly all of groups pull into this huge hangar-style construction subsequent to the velodrome. Ahead of lengthy, the construction was once stuffed with excited lovers, busy staff body of workers and quite a lot of media shops.
(Symbol credit score: Tom Wieckowski)
First, I visited Cofidis, the one WorldTour squad operating Campagnolo Tremendous Document WR apparatus this yr. The staff was once the usage of 30mm Vittoria Corsa Professional tyres, and due to the sealed rim mattress, their Bora wheels don’t require tubeless tape.
(Symbol credit score: Tom Wieckowski)
Spot the protecting tape at the rear of the Glance fork, it seems love it escaped the mechanics ultimate wash, although…
(Symbol credit score: Tom Wieckowski)
The Groupama-FDJ Wilier Triestina paint jobs glance incredible. The staff welcomed new wheel and part sponsor Miche onboard firstly of the yr.
(Symbol credit score: Tom Wieckowski)
A pleasant customized contact right here on Luxembourg nationwide champion Kevin Geniets’ device
(Symbol credit score: Tom Wieckowski)
Stefan Küng had round 30mm of spacers beneath his stem, he wasn’t the one rider with a wholesome spacer stack both. Slammed entrance ends is also much less widespread than they as soon as had been.
(Symbol credit score: Tom Wieckowski)
The Unibet Tietema Rockets Cannondale Supersix motorcycles stand out, the color co-ordinate Imaginative and prescient wheel brand’s fit completely.
(Symbol credit score: Tom Wieckowski)
Best possible Pirelli / Imaginative and prescient coordination.
(Symbol credit score: Tom Wieckowski)
EF Schooling-Easypost Cannondale’s with 54/40T FSA Okay Pressure chain-rings.
(Symbol credit score: Tom Wieckowski)
A bit further branding by no means hurts, proper? That is an additional decal at the EF MOMO carbon fibre handlebar.
(Symbol credit score: Tom Wieckowski)
3-d revealed saddles are very talked-about now; this is able to neatly be a brand new Fizik Adaptive type.
(Symbol credit score: Tom Wieckowski)
An Intermarché-Wanty rider drew the fast straw and perceived to were decided on to run this digital camera for onboard pictures all over the staff presentation. That is not at all aero.
(Symbol credit score: Tom Wieckowski)
Those lovers had been additionally taking a look bemused on the bizarre version at the Dice Litening Aero’s handlebars ahead of the race rolled out.
(Symbol credit score: Tom Wieckowski)
A neat Effetto Mariposa sicker serving to the Intermarché-Wanty mechanics to trace sealant adjustments and ranges.
(Symbol credit score: Tom Wieckowski)
Here is a fast shoutout to Matteo Trentin for having in all probability the classiest handlebar setup on the race for Tudor. Spot the superbly even handlebar tape wraps, too.
(Symbol credit score: Tom Wieckowski)
This appears to be a beautiful explicit fueling technique. Get your self over the Muur, and you are at the house immediately.
(Symbol credit score: Tom Wieckowski)
The UAE mechanics instructed me they’re nonetheless receiving Y1RS motorcycles and that no longer each and every rider has one but. In addition they stated the primary few motorcycle builds had been difficult, however that they’re being used to the brand new machines now.
(Symbol credit score: Tom Wieckowski)
I feel this can be a customized aero transponder attachment for the UAE Colnago Y1Rs fork legs.
(Symbol credit score: Tom Wieckowski)
The neat UAE aero pc mount was once manufactured by means of Hinloopen Design.
(Symbol credit score: Tom Wieckowski)
Purple Bull-Bora Hansgrohe are recently the usage of some new, as but unannounced Roval wheels and Specialised Turbo tyres. They would not inform me a lot, however we can be informed extra because the season is going on. Spot the contrasting tyre colors right here.
(Symbol credit score: Tom Wieckowski)
Quick cranks is also all of the rage this present day, however it sort of feels there are nonetheless some 175mm crank palms within the peloton.
(Symbol credit score: Tom Wieckowski)
The Purple Bull mechanics weren’t giving a lot away, however there is a new Turbo TLR tubeless tyre within the works, and that is it.
(Symbol credit score: Tom Wieckowski)
The tread nonetheless turns out reasonably nice, and the mechanics would no longer say anything else concerning the tyres’ primary objective. I believe this can be a new race tyre.
(Symbol credit score: Tom Wieckowski)
The Lidl Trek motorcycle additionally had a typical Zipp stem and some other wholesome spacer stack.
(Symbol credit score: Tom Wieckowski)
I headed outdoor at this level to take a look at and in finding the groups who hadn’t had room to slot in the hangar. First up was once Uno-X Mobility, who’re racing at the new Ridley Noah Speedy this yr. The brand new Noah will have to have the private head tube round this present day, it in point of fact is a sight to behold.
(Symbol credit score: Tom Wieckowski)
A freshly waxed chain and CeramicSpeed OSPW for Uno-X. The setup helped Søren Wærenskjold take an surprising victory within the males’s race.
(Symbol credit score: Tom Wieckowski)
That is the brand new Ridley Nimbus cockpit, which pairs effectively with the dropped headtube. It kind of feels no longer all the staff riders have them but.
(Symbol credit score: Tom Wieckowski)
Some motorcycles had usual stems and various spacers, which most certainly is not reasonably as speedy. Regardless that it did not sluggish the lads’s winner down.
(Symbol credit score: Tom Wieckowski)
Belgian motorcycles, Swiss wheels, Norweigan energy.
(Symbol credit score: Tom Wieckowski)
The Ineos Grenadiers Pinarello Dogma’s seemed as blank as ever, spot the carbohydrate combine quantity written at the bottles.
(Symbol credit score: Tom Wieckowski)
Ineos motorcycles use a neat built-in race transponder mount at the body’s force facet fork leg.
(Symbol credit score: Tom Wieckowski)
The Ineos tubeless valves had been by means of a long way the shortest round. A slight marginal aero achieve, possibly…
(Symbol credit score: Tom Wieckowski)
That is Josh Tarling’s motorcycle. At neatly over six ft tall, he, as you may believe, has reasonably an extended stem and an competitive place.
(Symbol credit score: Tom Wieckowski)
Astana’s X-Lab motorcycles are the latest access to the peloton, changing Wilier firstly of the yr.
(Symbol credit score: Tom Wieckowski)
The X-Lab AD9 has a deep aero-profiled fork dropout.
(Symbol credit score: Tom Wieckowski)
Astana are operating Dura-Ace cranks with Miche chainrings with electric tape over the emblems to stick sponsor right kind. Spot the tape at the most sensible left of the chainring.
(Symbol credit score: Tom Wieckowski)
The Crew Flanders-Baloise staff race on Eddy Merckx branded motorcycles…
(Symbol credit score: Tom Wieckowski)
However they’re in reality Ridley Falcn RS frames. A brand new Merckx body is in construction for the staff this present day. Ridley and Merckx are owned by means of the similar mum or dad corporate.
(Symbol credit score: Tom Wieckowski)
In spite of everything, I do not know what this implies, however a contented tyre will have to unquestionably be a quick tyre.
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