For a lot of fans – including us here at PEZ, the season truly starts when the flag drops in Ghent for Omloop Het Nieuwsblad. Cobbles, bergs, crosswinds and chaos – it’s the unofficial opening of the Flemish Classics – and the pro cycling race season proper. And on Saturday, Mathieu van der Poel added his name to the roll of honour in emphatic style.

In a nervy, crash-marred 207.6-kilometre edition from Ghent to Ninove, the Dutch superstar kept his cool while others hit the deck, then detonated the race on the Muur van Geraardsbergen before soloing clear to a commanding victory. Behind him, Tim van Dijke surprised many with second, outsprinting Florian Vermeersch for the runner-up spot.

Early Moves and Early Mayhem

The usual flurry of opening attacks were quickly shut down before a trio finally edged clear: Jelte Krijnsen (Jayco AlUla), Timo de Jong (Picnic PostNL) and Michiel Lambrecht (Flanders-Baloise). Their adventure was short-lived, however, when a crash removed De Jong and Lambrecht from the equation.

Krijnsen was soon joined by a counter-attacking quartet – Alexis Renard (Cofidis), Clément Alleno (Burgos-BH), Vincent Van Hemelen (Flanders-Baloise) and Alexys Brunel (TotalEnergies). With Alpecin-Deceuninck and Soudal Quick-Step policing the peloton for Van der Poel and Paul Magnier, the break was allowed a leash of four minutes.

That was as good as it got.

15 climbs over 207km… how the season should start.

As the race approached the first ascent of the Eikenberg, the speed ramped up and so did the tension. A sizeable crash rippled through the bunch, but the major contenders escaped unscathed. The respite was brief. Heading toward the Haaghoek, the throttle was twisted again – and another, even larger crash followed with just over 80 kilometres remaining.

Kaden Groves was among the hardest hit, though remarkably all the principal riders were able to remount and regain contact. It wasn’t the last incident. With 60 kilometres to go, the peloton was split and scattered yet again in another messy fall.

Favourites Under Pressure

The finale, strangely, simmered more with mishaps than with decisive attacks. Paul Magnier and Jasper Philipsen both suffered mechanical problems and were forced into desperate chases. Tom Pidcock’s hopes evaporated after earlier equipment trouble left him out of position; when the pace surged on the cobbles of the Eikenberg, the Brit was distanced for good.

Through it all, Van der Poel remained perfectly placed.

The Molenberg Moment

The race ignited properly on the Molenberg. Florian Vermeersch was first among the favourites onto the cobbled climb, with Van der Poel glued to his wheel. Then came the scare of the day: Rick Pluimers slid out directly ahead of the Dutchman.

With barely space to blink, Van der Poel somehow stayed upright in a miraculous save that defied physics and common sense. Adrenaline surging, he closed the gap to Vermeersch almost instantly and took control. Over the top, Tim van Dijke bridged across, and the trio set about sweeping up the remnants of the early break.

Near as I can tell, van der Poel’s watch costs upwards of $500,000.

Muur of Power

By the time they reached the foot of the Muur van Geraardsbergen, the winning move was loaded and ready. Behind, Lotto and Visma | Lease a Bike tried to reorganize a diminished peloton, but the cards were clearly in the hands of Van der Poel.

On the steep cobbles of the Kapelmuur, he made his statement. Vermeersch appeared to hesitate – possibly a shifting issue – but Van der Poel needed no second invitation. Dancing over the stones with trademark explosiveness, he rode away from both companions in a handful of brutal accelerations.

Cresting the Muur with a huge amount of daylight in hand, he pressed on over the Bosberg and never looked back.

The run-in to Ninove became a solo exhibition. Van der Poel powered to his first Omloop Het Nieuwsblad victory with the authority of a rider who had measured every moment perfectly.

Florian Vermeersch (BEL) of UAE Team Emirates XRG, Tim Van Dijke (NED) of Red Bull – BORA duked it out for the spoils.

Nearly a minute later, Van Dijke proved the strongest of the chasers, outsprinting Vermeersch after almost five hours of attrition to claim an impressive second place.

The Classics are officially underway – and once again, Mathieu van der Poel has laid down the marker.

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