The Omloop Het Volk race will have a new name this year, and will go by the name Omloop Het Niewsblad. And while I understand the reason for the name change, it is still a shame that it happened. As one of the biggest early season cobbled classics, the Omloop just sounded cooler being called Het Volk. Niewsblad just doesn't evoke the mystique that Het Volk did.
Luckily the race isn't changing much in terms of its spot on the calendar or the parcours. The winner will still have to be someone who is strongest on that day, and they'll still have to contend with the tough cobbles the Omloop is so well known for. And in time, the Niewsblad moniker will seem ordinary, but for 2009 I'm sure I'll find myself referring more than once to the Omloop as Het Volk. With a tradition that long, it's only right that the name Het Volk be remembered now and in the future as the true name of the event.
On a positive note, the Omloop should attract a strong field, with hardmen such as Stijn Devolder, Tom Boonen, Juan Antonia Flescha, Nick Nuyens, Philippe Gilbert, and Gert Steegmans being likely starters. And after a long day bouncing over the cobbles, one lucky rider will be able to say they claimed the first major northern classic in 2009.
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