Omloop 2025: Robbie McEwen tips Wout van Aert to get better of Tom Pidcock & guide Visma-Lease a Bike to four in a row
Updated 27/02/2025 at 18:32 GMT
The 2025 edition of Omloop Het Nieuwsblad is here, with the likes of Wout van Aert, Demi Vollering, and Tom Pidcock among the big names hoping for glory over the opening weekend on March 1. TNT Sports' expert Robbie McEwen has weighed in on who may finish the weekend atop the podium. The first of the Spring Classics Omloop, and the Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne are live on TNT Sports and discovery+
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TNT Sports' cycling expert Robbie McEwen has made his predictions for the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, as plenty of the sport's most exciting stars gear up for the March 1 race.
Opening Weekend is finally here and the traditional double-header of cobbled classics starts with Omloop, in the cycling heartland of Flanders, Belgium.
The first of this year's Spring Classics will be live on TNT Sports and discovery+. The Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne, another cobbled classic but a racing tier below Omloop, follows on Sunday, also live on TNT Sports and discovery+.
The Omloop often serves as an early indicator of form going into the high-profile Monuments such as Paris-Roubaix and the Tour of Flanders.
"For the Omloop, I’m going to go with Wout van Aert," McEwen said. "I think he’s not quite at his absolute best yet, but considering the racing he’s just done in Algarve and a week of recovery and assimilation after that, I think he’ll already be in good enough form to be successful at the Omloop.
"That being said, there are a few other riders who could also be strong contenders. I’m curious to see how Tom Pidcock performs, as he’s been in great form since the start of the season. Wherever Wout goes, Pidcock seems to follow, and we’ve seen before, like when Pidcock won at Ardennes a few years ago, he beat Wout there. It’ll be exciting to see those two come into the finish together."
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Pidcock has been in good form since moving to Swiss team Q36.5 from Ineos Grenadiers. The Briton won two stages and the overall classification at the Saudi Tour, and won a stage at the Vuelta a Andalucia last week.
Van Aert's team, Visma–Lease a Bike, have won here in each of the last three years. Van Aert won in 2022, while Dylan van Baarle and Jan Tratnik won in 2023 and 2024 respectively. The Dutch team seem to always hit the ground running in the opening Classics and they could make it four in a row this weekend.
"But still, I’m going to pick Wout as the favourite," McEwen continued. "There’s going to be so much attention on him, though, and that can make things tricky. I mean, last year we saw Jan Tratnik win, mostly because all the eyes were on the big favourites, and someone slipped away. That’s what I love about the Omloop — it can throw up surprise winners.
"It’s the first cobbled Classic of the season. Everyone knows who the favourites are, but that often works against them, and rivals know that too. But still, I’m sticking with Wout."
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When is Omloop Het Nieuwsblad 2025?
Omloop Het Nieuwsblad takes place on Saturday, March 1, with both the men's and women's races taking place on the same day.
How to watch Omloop Het Nieuwsblad 2025
You can watch all the action at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad live on TNT Sports and ad-free on discovery+.
Following Eurosport's integration into TNT Sports in the UK and Ireland, all cycling action from Omloop onwards will be broadcast on TNT Sports and discovery+.
The men's race will be live on TNT Sports 2 and discovery+ from 12:00 GMT, while coverage of the women's race begins at 15:00 GMT.
TNT Sports is available across all major TV platforms, offering a line-up of up to four TV channels (TNT Sports 1, TNT Sports 2, TNT Sports 3, TNT Sports 4), and up to six digital or red-button channels (TNT Sports 5 to 10), and TNT Sports Ultimate plus TNT Sports Box Office HD.
You can subscribe to TNT Sports through discovery+, BT, EE, Sky, and Virgin Media.
Stream the 2025 cycling season, including the Tour de France and Tour de France Femmes, live on discovery+
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