The Classics season has truly commenced, with Opening Weekend out of the way and regular trio Daniel Friebe, Lionel Birnie and Rob Hatch back to analyse the key takeaways from two intense days of racing on the cobbles and hellingen of Flanders.

On Saturday, Mathieu van der Poel’s latest masterclass suggested it could be a long spring for some of his rivals. MVDP’s eternal antagonist, Wout Van Aert, was absent from Visma-Lease a Bike’s line-up through illness, but that team could at least console themselves with Matthew Brennan’s superb victory in Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne on Sunday. We review both races and what they said about the coming weeks, with help from the ultimate authority on springtime racing in Belgium, Hugo Coorevits.

It was also a busy weekend in France, and a delirious one for patriotic French fans. Paul Seixas’s dominant performance at the Faun Ardèche Classic on Saturday prompted former rider turned pundit Jérôme Pineau to hail Seixas as “already the third best rider in the world”. We evaluate those claims and look ahead to Seixas’s first clash of the season with Tadej Pogačar at Strade Bianche.

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It’s another packed week of early-season racing, as we look back on the key action from the UAE, Andalusia and the Algarve last week – and ahead to Belgium’s Opening Weekend.

Daniel Friebe, Lionel Birnie and Rob Hatch focus first on the Volta ao Algarve, where Paul Seixas cranked up the hype around his short and long-term future with a stunning stage win and top-three overall finish. The winner of that race overall was Juan Ayuso, now of Lidl-Trek and formerly UAE. The rider who some might argue made Ayuso expendable at UAE, Isaac del Toro, ruled the roost at the UAE Tour.

Our Omloop Nieuwsblad preview is also an opportunity to find out whether there’s any truth to rumours about perhaps the biggest star of the recent Winter Olympics joining Uno-X. Team manager Thor Hushovd sets us straight on that, plus we visit our own Belgian Classics oracle in Coorevits Corner.

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This episode of The Cycling Podcast is brought to you by Bikmo cycle insurance – because let's face it, things happen. Whether it's a crash landing, the heartbreak of a stolen bike, or the ultimate facepalm moment of reversing over your prized aero wheel, Bikmo has you covered. Flexible policies that you can cancel anytime, 50% off extra bikes in your household, protection for your kit, race entries, and even damage while travelling to your next epic ride – they've thought of it all. Protect your ride before it's too late – head to Bikmo.com to get covered.

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The Cycling Podcast was founded in 2013 by Richard Moore, Daniel Friebe and Lionel Birnie.

It’s been another frantic week in the world of pro cycling, with early season races in several parts of southern Europe and the Middle East. Tudor Pro Cycling’s Larry Warbasse, who began his season at the Tour of Oman, is back in the co-host’s seat with Daniel Friebe to review some of the key action and talking points.

The most prestigious of the races starting this week, at least according to the UCI’s ranking system, is the UAE Tour. Many expected a revealing first head-to-head battle between Remco Evenepoel and Isaac Del Toro, and indeed they emerged from the first three stages with a win apiece. Only one of the pair, though, will have been satisfied with his GC position with the final showdown at Jebel Hafeet to come – and that was Del Toro.

Larry and Daniel discuss Evenepoel’s struggles at the other Jebel, Mobrah, and ponder what they say about the rest of his season. We also talk about some other prodigious talents that have been in spotlight early this year, wayward leadouts and Pinarello Q36.5’s recent trip to Chile, as described to us by Fred Wright.

EPISODE SPONSORS

Bikmo
This episode of The Cycling Podcast is brought to you by Bikmo cycle insurance – because let's face it, things happen. Whether it's a crash landing, the heartbreak of a stolen bike, or the ultimate facepalm moment of reversing over your prized aero wheel, Bikmo has you covered. Flexible policies that you can cancel anytime, 50% off extra bikes in your household, protection for your kit, race entries, and even damage while travelling to your next epic ride – they've thought of it all. Protect your ride before it's too late – head to Bikmo.com to get covered.

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Sign up as a Friend of the Podcast at thecyclingpodcast.com to listen to new special episodes every month plus a back catalogue of more than 300 exclusive episodes.

The 11.01 Cappuccino
Our regular email newsletter is now on Substack. Subscribe here for frothy, full-fat updates to enjoy any time (as long as it’s after 11am).

The Cannibal & Badger
Friends of the Podcast can join the discussion at our new virtual pub, The Cannibal & Badger. A friendly forum to talk about cycling and the podcast. Log in to your Friends of the Podcast account to join in.

The Cycling Podcast is on Strava

The Cycling Podcast was founded in 2013 by Richard Moore, Daniel Friebe and Lionel Birnie.