Belgium's "opening weekend" and the start of Classics season are just around the corner, with Omloop Het Nieuwsblad kicking off Saturday in Ghent followed by Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne on Sunday.
It's the first chance this year fans will have to watch many of the sport's top one-day stars racing on their favored terrain. For some of those cobblestone specialists, this weekend is also a first Classics outing on a new team – or a final opportunity to grab an elusive victory.
Here are a few riders you'll want to watch this weekend in Belgium...
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Tom Boonen (Quick-Step Floors)
Thirty-six-year-old Tom Boonen should expect plenty of attention from rivals, fans and media alike this weekend, and not only because he's a contender for both races. This happens to be the last first day of Classics season for the veteran one-day specialist, who plans to retire this year, and the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad is among the few Belgian one-days he has never won in his career.
Boonen will have to decide whether to hunt this elusive title Saturday and risk going too hard too early on in his Classics campaign, or to save energy for the bigger fish downriver at the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix. No matter what he decides, he'll be a threat in Sunday's less challenging Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne, which he has won multiple times in his career. For both races, he's a rider absolutely worth watching.
You can read more at Cyclingnews.com
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