Mathieu van der Poel's bombshell announcement that he will be racing Omloop Het Nieuwsblad not only means there is a standout favourite for Saturday's season opener. As leading Belgian contender Arnaud De Lie (Lotto-Intermarché) pointed out in his pre-race press conference, the Dutch star's presence will likely reshape the shape of the entire race.

While the combination of a headwind and a lack of aggressivity in the peloton saw virtually no major attacks go clear, with perennial Classics contender Stefan Küng's late charge off the front one of the very few attempts to fight against the fast-rising tide of probability that the race would end in a bunch sprint.