Former winner Ballerini expects open race at Omloop: “Pogacar’s absence changes everything”

Ballerini rode for Deceuninck–Quick-Step during the Belgian Classics team’s glory years. In addition to Ballerini’s Omloop victory, the squad also won E3, Brugge–De Panne, Flèche Wallonne and the Tour of Flanders in the same period. With that dominant team behind him, the Italian managed to claim his big Spring Classic: in a sprint from a group of around 40 riders, Ballerini was the quickest.

This year, he is on the start list again — now in Astana colours. He says he feels fit after a long altitude camp, but admits he does not yet know what to expect from Opening Weekend. “First we have to see how the legs respond,” Ballerini explains. “I’m missing a bit of race rhythm, which could be a disadvantage, but maybe I’m even fitter than the guys who raced in Portugal or at the UAE Tour.”

For the Italian, Omloop is not necessarily the key goal in itself. “My goals are from Omloop through to Roubaix. Every race is a chance to perform well — they’re all important to me,” he says. According to the Astana rider, it is also difficult for a Classics specialist to pin everything on one single day. “So much can happen in the Belgian Classics. You can’t assume you’ll be good in just a few specific races. You simply have to be in top form all the time,” Ballerini adds, realistically.

In recent years, Ballerini has had his share of bad luck in the Spring Classics, but he insists it has not changed his mindset. “As I said, I focus on the whole period and not on one race,” he explains. “If you get ill or injured for a longer stretch in that block, you unfortunately lose a big part of your season.”

Ballerini will ride Omloop for the fifth time next weekend, so he knows exactly what to expect. “It’s really a foretaste of the big Classics like Flanders,” he says. “It’s just not as hard as the Tour of Flanders because it has fewer kilometres and fewer climbs.” That, however, does not make it any less interesting for him — quite the opposite. “This race is more open,” Ballerini explains. “Sometimes it finishes with 50 riders still in contention.” In his view, that unpredictability only adds to the tension.

Ballerini also believes the decisive point is not necessarily the Kapelmuur (Muur van Geraardsbergen). “It’s a spectacular spot, but not the key point,” he says. “The crucial moment is usually earlier, after a sequence of cobbles and climbs.” When he won in 2021, Ballerini recalls they were actually caught again shortly after the Muur — and it still came down to a sprint. “They’ve adjusted the route a bit this year, so that’s why we’re going to do reconnaissance earlier,” he adds.

Finally, Ballerini also sees a difference in how the race could unfold compared to something like the Tour of Flanders, specifically because Tadej Pogacar is not there. “Flanders usually explodes earlier every year,” he says. “In a race like Omloop, Pogacar’s absence changes the whole situation.” After the Classics spring, Ballerini is set to prepare for a “home” Grand Tour: the Giro d’Italia.