Bahrain Victorious bank on experience, but young Van Mechelen also gets protected role for Omloop

For the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, the Middle Eastern squad will start with Mohorič as outright leader, but young Belgian Vlad Van Mechelen has also been given a protected role. Both can expect support from new signings Attila Valter and Pau Miquel.

Also in the line-up in Ghent are Robert Stannard, back from Australia, and road captain Kamil Gradek. Bahrain Victorious are also expecting a contribution from Alec Segaert. Speaking via the team’s own website, sports director Michał Gołaś explained the thinking behind the selection.

“Matej is our leader, and we will do everything to make sure he gets through the middle part of the race smoothly and can respond to attacks in the final,” said the Polish sports director, sounding confident about his Slovenian spearhead. “We also have Vlad as a shadow leader: he is in good shape and I expect good things from him.”There is also a specific job for Segaert. “Alec Segaert adds something extra to our team with his local knowledge. I think he can play an important role for us in the final,” Gołaś explained.

Gołaś also singled out Stannard and Gradek. “This weekend is one of Stannard’s big goals. He likes to race aggressively, and that’s how we want to use him. Gradek, with all of his experience, will be deployed mainly as our road captain.” Bahrain Victorious head into the race with confidence. “Our team is in good form — we go to Belgium with high expectations,” Gołaś concluded.

For Kuurne–Brussels–Kuurne, Bahrain Victorious will tweak the line-up. Valter, Van Mechelen and Stannard make way for Alessandro Borgo, Matevž Govekar and fast finisher Phil Bauhaus. That also changes the team’s approach for Sunday.

“We have a balanced team, and it’s a different kind of race,” Gołaś said. “The weather usually plays a big role. If there’s a lot of wind, the race becomes more selective; if there’s no wind, it usually comes down to a sprint from a peloton that may or may not be thinned out.”

That is why Bahrain have brought in extra speed for day two of the weekend. “Phil, Matevž and Pau are our fast guys, but we’ll have to see who handles the climbs best,” said Gołaś.

If the race does not end in a sprint, Bahrain can again look to Mohorič and Segaert. “They can follow the big attacks on the tougher parts of the course, while Kamil, as road captain, will support the guys in the peloton,” he added.

Mohorič himself is excited for the opening weekend. “It’s always a very important weekend for me because it marks the start of the spring classics,” said the Slovenian.

He also has strong memories of Omloop Het Nieuwsblad. “As a team we’ve already done well here a number of times — Sonny Colbrelli once finished second behind Wout van Aert, and I was once pipped right on the final straight,” Mohorič recalled. This year, he hopes to begin his season with another big result.

Confidence does not seem to be an issue for the Milan–San Remo winner. “I’ve had a good winter and the team spirit is good. Everyone is motivated to fight together in Belgium for a strong result,” Mohorič concluded.