News: Omloop Het Nieuwsblad Riders

March 2nd sees the start of the much loved Spring Classics and in the list of starters are Brits like Harry Tanfield, Ian Stannard, Owain Doull, Luke Rowe, Chris Lawless and Ryan Mullen

News: Omloop Het Nieuwsblad Riders

Saturday 2 March marks the start of the Flemish spring, with Omloop Het Nieuwsblad. Anyone wanting to greet the top racers like Van Avermaet, Matthews and European champion Trentin for the first time in Flanders this season, is best advised to make their way to ‘t Kuipke. These riders are joined on the provisional list of participants for the first European WorldTour race of the season by a host of the world’s top cycling names.

Ian Stannard back in 2014 beating Greg Van Avermaet to the top step of the podium

For Belgium’s leading stars, the opening classic on home roads has for many years now been an early season goal and Deceuninck – Quick-Step selection for the race to Ninove boasts, amongst others, two-time winner of Dwars door Vlaanderen Yves Lampaert along with Philippe Gilbert and Zdenek Stybar. The other Belgian WorldTour team racing on home soil, Lotto Soudal, have had their eye on victory in Omloop Het Nieuwsblad for several years. They’re sending some firepower to Gent including Tiesj Benoot, Jens Keukeleire and Tim Wellens. Winner in 2016 and 2017, Greg Van Avermaet leads the new CCC Team, supported by last year’s runner up behind Michael Valgren Andersen, Lukasz Wisniowski.
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AG2R La Mondiale brings a popular name to the Flanders Classics with Oliver Naesen looking to improve on a string of strong performances over the past seasons, whilst 2012 winner Sep Vanmarcke will be looking for repeat success, now with EF Education First, counting on the support of former winner Sebastian Langeveld. Trek-Segafredo bring Belgians Edward Theuns and Jasper Stuyven on their provisional start list, together with their young talented Dane, Mads Pedersen. Another Belgian youngster to watch is Jasper Philipsen, with the UAE Team Emirates ready to tackle the Haaghoek, Molenberg and Muur van Geraardsbergen in his first season as a pro.

Jürgen Roelandts and Jens Debusschere transferred teams in the winter. For their new teams, Movistar Team and Team Katusha Alpecin respectively, they are at the top of the first selections. Wout van Aert’s first classic adventure with Team Jumbo-Visma awaits at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad. Jan Bakelants is also kicking off the season at his new Sunweb team alongside of fast man Michael Matthews.

In addition to the Australian, more fast legs are present on the provisional list of participants in the opening classic: European champion Matteo Trentin (Mitchelton-SCOTT) and Frenchman Arnaud Démare (Groupama-FDJ). At Team Sky, they are currently counting on the strong man Ian Stannard, winner of the 2014 and 2015 Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, and Luke Rowe.

Some interesting names can also be found among the seven wildcards, including Niki Terpstra, who this winter made the switch to ProContinental team Direct Energie. Stijn Devolder brings his experience to the race with Corendon-Circus, while classics rider Lars Boom leads his Roompot-Charles team.

The final team selections may be subject to change in weeks leading up to the race, and Flanders Classics will be sure to communicate every important change.

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Deceuninck – Quick-Step
1 LAMPAERT, Yves
2 DECLERCQ, Tim
3 GILBERT, Philippe
4 KEISSE, Iljo
5 JUNGELS, Bob
6 SENECHAL, Florian
7 STYBAR, Zdenek

Lotto – Soudal
11 BENOOT, Tiesj
12 DE BUYST, Jasper
13 FRISON, Frederik
14 KEUKELEIRE, Jens
15 MAES, Nikolas
16 VAN GOETHEM, Brian
17 WELLENS, Tim

Ag2R – La Mondiale
21 NAESEN, Oliver
22 BAGDONAS, Gediminas
23 DENZ, Nico
24 DILLIER, Silvan
25 DUVAL, Julien
26 GOUGEARD, Alexis
27 VANDENBERGH, Stijn

Astana Pro Team
31 BALLERINI, Davide
32 BIZHIGITOV, Zhandos
33 DE VREESE, Laurens
34 GIDICH, Yevgeniy
35 HOULE, Hugo
36 LUTSENKO, Alexey
37 NIELSEN, Magnus Cort

Bahrain Merida Pro Cycling Team
41 AGNOLI, Valerio
42 BOLE, Grega
43 COLBRELLI, Sonny
44 GARCIA CORTINA, Ivan
45 KOREN, Kristjan
46 MOHORIC, Matej
47 PIBERNIK, Luka

BORA- hansgrohe
51 ACKERMANN, Pascal
52 DRUCKER, Jean-Pierre
53 OSS, Daniel
54 POSTLBERGER, Lukas
55 SAGAN, Juraj
56 SCHILLINGER, Andreas
57 SELIG, Rüdiger

CCC Team
61 VAN AVERMAET, Greg
62 VAN HOECKE, Gijs
63 VAN HOOYDONCK, Nathan
64 VENTOSO ALBERDI, Francisco José
65 VAN KEIRSBULCK, Guillaume
66 WISNIOWSKI, Lukasz
67 SCHÄR, Michael

EF Education First
71 VANMARCKE, Sep
72 DOCKER, Mitchell
73 HOFLAND, Moreno
74 LANGEVELD, Sebastian
75 PHINNEY, Taylor
76 SCULLY, Thomas
77 BRESCHEL, Matti

Groupama-FDJ
81 DEMARE, Arnaud
82 DUCHESNE, Antoine
83 GUARNIERI, Jacopo
84 KONOVALOVAS, Ignatas
85 KÜNG, Stefan
86 LE GAC, Olivier
87 SINKELDAM, Ramon

Mitchelton – Scott
91 TRENTIN, Matteo
92 DURBRIDGE, Luke
93 EDMONDSON, Alexander
94 HEPBURN, Michael
95 JUUL JENSEN, Christopher
96 SMITH, Dion
97 AFFINI, Edoardo

Movistar Team
101 ROELANDTS, Jurgen
102 BARBERO, Carlos
103 BETANCUR, Carlos
104 CASTRILLO, Jaime
105 ARCAS, Jorge
106 SEPULVEDA, Eduardo
107 SOLER, Marc

Team Dimension Data
111 VERMOTE, Julien
112 GASPAROTTO, Enrico
113 HAGEN, Edvald Boasson
114 NIZZOLO, Giacomo
115 TILLER, Rasmus Fossum
116 VENTER, Jaco
117 BAK YTTING, Lars

Team Jumbo – Visma
121 VAN AERT, Wout
122 ROOSEN, Timo
123 TEUNISSEN, Mike
124 VAN DER HOORN, Taco
125 VAN POPPEL, Danny
126 EENKHOORN, Pascal
127 WYNANTS, Maarten

Team Katusha – Alpecin
131 DEBUSSCHERE, Jens
132 BIERMANS, Jenthe
133 HOLLENSTEIN, Reto
134 KUZNETSOV, Viacheslav
135 POLITT, Nils
136 SCHMIDT, Mads Würtz
137 TANFIELD, Harry

Team Sky
141 STANNARD, Ian
142 DOULL, Owain
143 KNEES, Christian
144 LAWLESS, Christopher
145 ROWE, Luke
146 BASSO, Leonardo
147 VAN BAARLE, Dylan

Team Sunweb
151 BAKELANTS, Jan
152 CURVERS, Roy
153 KRAGH ANDERSEN, Asbjorn
154 KRAGH ANDERSEN, Søren
155 MATTHEWS, Michael
156 PEDERSEN, Casper
157 TUSVELD, Martijn

Trek-Segafredo [USA]
161 STUYVEN, Jasper
162 THEUNS, Edward
163 KIRSCH, Alex
164 MULLEN, Ryan
165 PEDERSEN, Mads
166 FRAME, Alex
167 GOGL, Michael

UAE Team Emirates [UAE]
171 PHILIPSEN, Jasper
172 FERRARI, Roberto
173 MARCATO, Marco
174 MOLANO BENAVIDES, Juan Sebastian
175 BYSTROM, Sven Erik
176 SUTHERLAND, Rory
177 BOHLI, Tom

Cofidis, Solutions Crédits [FRA]
181 LAPORTE, Christophe
182 CLAEYS, Dimitri
183 HOFSTETTER, Hugo
184 TOUZE, Damien
185 VAN LERBERGHE, Bert
186 VANBILSEN, Kenneth
187 WAEYTENS, Zico

Corendon – Circus [BEL]
191 DEVOLDER, Stijn
192 DE BONDT, Dries
193 JANS, Roy
194 JANSSENS, Jimmy
195 RICKAERT, Jonas
196 STALLAERT, Joeri
197 VAN TRIJP, Maarten

Direct Energie
201 TERPSTRA, Niki
202 GAUDIN, Damien
203 LIGTHART, Pim
204 PETIT, Adrien
205 PICHOT, Alexandre
206 CARDIS, Romain
207 TULIK, Angelo

Roompot – Charles [NED]
211 BOOM, Lars
212 ASSELMAN, Jesper
213 DE BIE, Sean
214 LEYSEN, Senne
215 REINDERS, Elmar
216 STEELS, Stijn
217 VAN GINNEKEN, Sjoerd

Sport Vlaanderen-Baloise
221 ALLEGAERT, Piet
222 CAPIOT, Amaury
223 DECLERCQ, Benjamin
224 PLANCKAERT, Edward
225 SPRENGERS, Thomas
226 VAN HECKE, Preben
227 WARLOP, Jordi

Wallonie Bruxelles
231 DEHAES, Kenny
232 ISTA, Kevyn
233 JULES, Justin
234 LIEPINS, Emils
235 NOMMELA, Aksel
236 PLANCKAERT, Baptiste
237 SPENGLER, Lukas

Wanty – Gobert Cycling Team [BEL]
241 BAUGNIES, Jerome
242 DE GENDT, Aimé
243 DEVRIENDT, Tom
244 OFFREDO, Yoann
245 PASQUALON, Andrea
246 VANSPEYBROUCK, Pieter
247 VLIEGEN, Loic