Sébastien Hinault : "des airs de rentrée des classes"

PresentationFeb 25, 2025

World Team TeamOmloop het Nieuwsblad

The resumption of the classics traditionally takes place in Belgium, with the two opening races on the other side of the border, the Omloop Nieuwsblad (Saturday) and Kuurne-Bruxelles-Kuurne (Sunday). A cobbled classic at the start, and a more sprinter-oriented event the following day.

Florian Sénéchal

The Omloop Nieuwsblad is a race that always generates stress. It's the season opener in Belgium, the first WorldTour classic on the calendar. The competition takes in a large number of small roads that I know very well, as these are my training routes. I have many fond memories of this classic, but I only want to remember the good ones. Last year, I was in action in the final before I crashed. I hope that the Omloop Nieuwsblad will mark the end of my dark year, which started here in 2024. I want to take my revenge on fate. I refined my preparation in Spain. I'm back to my best and I feel that with the ARKEA-B&B HOTELS team, we're going to achieve some great results. We have strong riders and a close-knit team. We have made further improvements. Now it's up to us to implement them in the race. This Belgian opening weekend will be important for me, but also for the ARKEA-B&B HOTELS team.

Arnaud Démare

Kuurne-Bruxelles-Kuurne is a race that I love. I like the flavour of the first races in Belgium, which are very intense. Sometimes it happens in a sprint, other times in small groups. It's a fast-moving, rhythmic and very demanding race, with a great field. I'm delighted to be taking part in this great Belgian semi-classic.

Sébastien Hinault

Sportif director

The Omloop Nieuwsblad marks the start of the cobbled classics campaign in Belgium. It's the start of the new school year, and everyone is looking forward to it. It's a reunion with the Monts, Molenberg, Berendries, Bosberg, the Mur de Grammont, etc... Jenthe Biermans and Amaury Capiot will be racing on their home turf and training grounds, as will Florian Sénéchal, who has revenge on his hands for this event. We certainly won't be the favourites in the race, but we're aiming to do some great things to put the ARKEA-B&B HOTELS jersey forward. Omloop Nieuwsblad is followed the next day by the second ‘round’, so to speak, with Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne, a semi-classic with its own mountains, but which can be contested in a sprint or in small groups. The team will also be built around Florian Sénéchal and Amaury Capiot, and will also benefit from the support of two of our sprinters, Arnaud Démare and Luca Mozzato, who will be able to do well depending on the race scenario.

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