The opening weekends, Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and Coule Brussel-Coulomb, mark the start of the Belgian racing season and a reset from the warm weather starts of January and February.

The riders who took the start of the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad in Ghent this morning will face off repeatedly in spring classics over the next few months on the cobblestones and hills of Flanders in preparation for monuments like the Tour de Flanders and Paris-Roubaix.

The Tour Down Under, the Middle East races, and the Volta ao Algarve are no longer the "training races" of decades past, but the atmosphere, the racing, and the attention all power up when the racing starts in Belgium. [Bahrain Victorious racer Fred Wright told Cycling News outside Ghent's famous velodrome "t Kuipke" on Saturday. 'The only thing I can compare it to is my legs from the last race. This race is different again."

"I was in good shape in Valencia, but the classics are special. But the Classic is special. I'm really excited. I did pretty well last year. We did pretty well last year, but there were things we could have done better. Even though [Sonny] Colbrelli is gone, we are still a strong team. I can't wait."

Ghent had blue skies, but the temperature was still a chilly 5°C as the riders signed in and made their way through the huge crowds to the starting point. These conditions, and the races this weekend, serve as an aperitif to the spring classic season that fills the calendar throughout March and April.

"Opening weekend is always hard," said Jake Stewart of Groupama-FDJ, who finished second in Omloop two years ago.

"It gives you an idea of what the race will be like in Belgium. It gives you an idea of everyone's form and how good the conditions are. [But there are still a few weeks before the "real" Classics start, so there is plenty of time for that.

"I really enjoy racing in Belgium and this style of racing. It suits me best as a bike rider and the type of rider I am. So it's certainly the place where I enjoy racing the most, and when I race, I just keep going."

The two 23-year-olds both have strong sprint and cobbles aptitudes and will no doubt battle it out in both Omloop and Kuhne, where they will be among the 12 British riders lined up on Saturday, with Tom Pidcock and Ben Turner of Ineos Grenadiers also strong candidates. one of the two.

Both Wright and Stewart said they are ready to compete in this weekend's Flanders 400 km race.

"I did a few races, but I crashed at the end of Besseges and came into the Algarve with a few days rest," Stewart said. Stewart said, "This year I have a clear goal for myself and I don't really target the early season races. Obviously the opening weekend is a big start to the season and I'm going to build on it from here [I took a year off in terms of not learning the Belgian roads and how to race.

"So I'm really looking forward to coming back. We had a good winter and it took us a while to get the season started. It didn't work out the way I expected, but I came here this weekend pretty well prepared."

Stewart will be the co-leader of Groupama-FDJ throughout the weekend, alongside Stefan Küng in Omloop. Wright, meanwhile, will run with Matej Mohoric in Bahrain Victorious.

"I was in good shape in Valencia, but the classics are special. This is our first test to see how we are doing. 'In a situation like this, you know where you stand, but it's hard to know how the other players are doing. We know we are doing well, but who knows what the other players are doing?"

"I think we have a really good chance and so does tomorrow. It would be great if we could win these two days. But it's easier said than done. It's definitely going to be a fight."

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