Van Aert, Tratnik and De Lie, but no Van der Poel, Pedersen, or Pogacar: This is the preliminary start list for Omloop Het Nieuwsblad
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Follow us on GoogleThe Belgian cycling season will get underway in just two weeks, as is traditionally the case with the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad. While the season has already been in full swing for weeks in Australia, Asia, and southern European countries, the Omloop still marks the beginning of the classics for traditional cycling enthusiasts. What can we expect at the team presentation in Het Kuipke in Ghent?
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Not a lot of men, that's for sure. Mathieu van der Poel has traditionally skipped the race after the cyclo-cross season, and we haven't seen Tadej Pogacar pass the Muur van Geraardsbergen and Bosberg in the past. The two men are not expected to start this season either. Mads Pedersen, for example, will also be absent during this year's Opening Weekend.
Wout van Aert will be present, as he was in 2024, although he will first ride in Spain (Clasica Jaén) and Portugal (Volta ao Algarve). Many riders will be coming to Belgium from that second race: Biniam Girmay (Intermarché-Wanty), Stefan Küng (Groupama-FDJ), Arnaud De Lie (Lotto) and defending champion Jan Tratnik (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe) are also planning to take that route.
Visma | Lease a Bike may no longer have last year's winner in its ranks, but it still has a lot of other good riders. In addition to Van Aert, Christophe Laporte, Per Strand Hagenes, Tiesj Benoot, Matteo Jorgenson, and Edoardo Affini are also noted. Dylan van Baarle is still uncertain after his crash in the Tour Down Under.
Remember that this is a provisional start list, which is still subject to change in many cases. There are still races in France, Spain, the United Arab Emirates, and Portugal, where anything can happen – both positive and negative – for the participating cyclists.
Provisional start list Omloop Het Nieuwsblad 2025
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Bram van der PloegEditor-in-chief
Bram van der Ploeg (35) is the proud founder of In de Leiderstrui, IDL Pro Cycling's parent site, launched in 2018. Finally, he could create stories about the sport he had followed since childhood. He is the editor-in-chief on paper, but prefers to be with his recorder next to a rider, a team bus, or in the mud at a cyclocross race. Every year, from February to the end of May, Bram follows the entire Italian cycling season, from the Trofeo Laigueglia to the Giro d'Italia, with the grand finale in October in Lombardy. During that time, he lives in Tuscany, where he has since come to call Italy his 'home'.
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Latest Comments
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- - Love that he’s honest about the pressure. Hopefully he can carry this form through the winter.lindae14-11-2026
- - Beating different competition is the key now. Nys is already in the mix, and Van der Poel could make the next step a much tougher one.jennifer1914-11-2026
- - About time—Mason’s been knocking on the door for years. That Niel win could really open things up for him.cadencekingm14-11-2026
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- The article makes a good case for clubs and small teams doing the groundwork, rather than one big development pipeline. Thornley’s Vuelta time trials were seriously impressive too; missing a stage win by two seconds is brutal.davidm13-11-2026
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