The first Belgian races of the season will get underway on Saturday with the 15th edition of the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad. The 126km long race commencing in Ghent features a hilly profile with 10 ‘hellinge’ and five cobbled sectors. The key pair of climbs, the legendary Kapelmuur and the Bosberg, feature towards the end of the race. A strong peloton of 24 teams will hit the start line on Saturday to fight it out in the famed Flemish Ardennes region, and take the win on the finish line on the Onderwijslaan in Ninove.
Then, with the 130km long Omloop van het Hageland, Bigla – KATUSHA will be taking on the second race of the Belgian weekend on Sunday. This year’s course has been slightly modified, featuring a new run-in to the finish laps, which leaves the race more open to breakaway groups forming early on. The race consists of one long opening loop of 54km, followed by five finishing circuits of 15km each, with the Roesberg climb to be conquered on each lap.
Our line-up for both races:
- Lizzy Banks
- Clara Koppenburg
- Emma Norsgaard Jorgensen
- Marlen Reusser
- Maria Vittoria Sperotto
- Leah Thomas
- Sophie Wright
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