The spring classics season opens this weekend with both the Omloop Het Volk and Kuurne Brussel Kurrne races taking place.

Italian Filippo Pozzato won the Omloop last year, so look for the Belgians to try and take back their race. Belgian powerhouse Quick Step will of course be there, and Tom Boonen, Gert Steegmans and Stijn Devolder will all be aiming for a win. The riders will face 11 climbs this year, but the first one (Grotenberge) will not come until 73km into the race. Grotenberge will be followed by Leberg, Berendries, Valkenberg, Tenbosse, Pottelberg, Kruisberg, Taaienberg, Eikenberg, Wolvenberg and Molenberg.

One day later, many of the same riders will line up to contest the 61st Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne. While the race does not toss cobblestones at the racers, they will face seven climbs within 117km, starting with Edelareberg at 29km and proceeding to La Houppe (91km), Kanarieberg (99km), Kruisberg (103km), Oude Kwaremont (110km), Cote Du Trieu (124km), Tiegemberg (135km) and Nokereberg (146km). The usual cast of Belgian strong men are expected to be gunning for the win.

Other race news:

• If the racers won’t play nice with Pat McQuaid, he might not play nice with them. No details, but he does not seem to like that the AIGCP went against the UCI to participate in Paris-Nice. He does mention, however that there could be repercussions for French riders in World Cup and World Championship events.
  • If he was really playing hardball, couldn’t he not grant any Pro Tour points from the race?
• Fleche-Wallonne and Liège-Bastogne-Liège, two Belgian races which are organised by theASO have been registered with the UCI and should be accepting all teams.
• Danilo di Luca is confident that he will be vindicated in his latest row with the Italian Olympic Committee.
• Here we go again. If the biological passports are ready in time for Paris-Nice, the French anti-doping agency will do the testing with the notorious Chatenay-Malabry lab.
• In Nothern California, the High School Mountain Bike League has banned the use of caffiene at their events. How will the students even manage to get out of bed?

Race Results:

• 66th Vuelta a la Comunidad Valenciana (Stage 4): Italian Mirco Lorenzetto (Lampre) wins the stage and Ruben Plaza (Benefica) lead the G.C.
• Women’s Tour of New Zealand (Stage 3): American Kristin Armstrong of the Cervelo-LifeForce team takes the stage and takes over the G.C. as well.
• Les 3 Jours de Vaucluse (Stage 1): Nicolas Vogondy (Agritubel) takes the first stage of this fairly new race.