Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne - February 28 and March 1
The classics season began in earnest with the double-header of Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne. After the heat of the Middle East and southern Spain, it was back to arm-warmers and gloves as the peloton tackled the cold Belgian cobbles.
Opening the action was Omloop Het Nieuwsblad. The 2015 route had a total of 11 climbs or "hellingen," with course designer and former winner Peter Van Petegem keeping the circular route but tweaking the order of the climbs and adding the Bosgat ascent.
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After a tumultuous year, 2014 winner Ian Stannard returned to the race as he searched to get his career back on track after breaking his back at Ghent-Wevelgem and spending three months off his bike. He did that and more with an impressive ride that saw him outsmart the combined talents of Etixx-QuickStep riders Tom Boonen, Niki Terpstra and Stijn Vandenbergh. The Team Sky rider bided his time and allowed the Belgian team to play their cards before out-kicking Terpstra in the final sprint. The win makes him only the ninth rider to defend his title and the first since Peter van Petegem in 1998.
“I think everything aligned right for me to win the race,” said Stannard. “I thought they were going to attack me pretty hard at the end but the group was only 20 seconds behind so they couldn’t really play too much and I could play poker on the back.”
For the full report, results and pictures from Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, click here.
You can read more at Cyclingnews.com
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