Omloop Het Nieuwsblad 2010: The Real Start of the Pro Cycling Season

Although there are many races before the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad (formerly Het Volk), none of them carry the prestige of the one day Belgian semi-classic. Commonly featuring poor weather, tough roads and a staunch field, Het Nieuwsblad is the first big one day trophy on the world cycling calendar, and year in and year out the event attracts a top flight field. 2010 is no different, with some of the toughest and fastest cyclists in the world primed to compete in this year's edition.

The defending champion of the event, Thor Hushovd, is back again for 2010, but the big Norwegian has been slowed recently from sickness and so may not be on top form for his title defence. If he is not feeling as good as last year, expect Cervelo second in command Heinrich Haussler to take over leader duties. The youngster is more than capable of taking out the win at the Nieuwsblad, and his aggressive tactics at the Tour of Qatar show that his form is solid at this early stage of the season.

The Liquigas team comes to HN with a nice combo in the forms of Daniele Bennati and Manuel Quinziato. Bennati, after a terrible 2009, already has one win this year, and Quinziato is prepping for a run at Flanders and Roubaix. Either man could figure in the finale, with Bennati seeming to be the best option for the Italian team.

As in any classic they enter for 2010, Quick Step will be heavily favored to win HN, with a fearsome treble of Tom Boonen, Sylvain Chavanel and Stijn Devolder. Boonen is flying at this early point in the season, while Chavanel and Devolder are mysteries. All have the tools to win HN, but whether their form is up to snuff this early in the year remains to be seen. To show just how deep Quick Step is though, if the above three riders don't come through, Wouter Weylandt has a mean finishing kick and a strong engine. Quick Step will be very hard to control at HN and every other classic in 2010.

The Rabobank team could surprise at HN with the up and coming Lars Boom and the veteran Nick Nuyens. Nuyens hasn't had a huge win since his Quick Step days, but he could cause a big result if the tactics play to his favor as a solo escapee. Boom meanwhile is young but hungry, and could also try a solo flyer, depending on his time trialing skills to hold the chasing bunch at bay.

Team Sky, as they have all year, will be a force at HN. Kurt Asle-Arvesen, coming off a recent collar bone break probably won't be overly effective, but Edvald Boasson Hagen should be able to pick up the slack with relative ease for the new British super team. "Boss Hog" has been used extensively in the early season, and his form should be cracking for HN. Expect him to podium, if not win, the first real classic of 2010.

The Garmin-Transitions team bring their fast man Tyler Farrar to Belgium looking to lead him to his first win of 2010. Farrar has been close but has not broken through as of yet. Perhaps he has been saving himself for the biggest races though and is planning a huge result at HN. If not he though, look for new Garmin signing Johan Vansummeren to make an impact. Later in the spring meanwhile, Vansummeren should be a force.

HTC-Columbia has been quieter this year than last in the victory column, and on paper their squad for HN underwhelms. Their best option appears to be Bernhard Eisel, the fast veteran who usually rides as a support rider. Matty Goss too is strong though, and perhaps he or Eisel will be able to catch the field off guard and deliver a big result for HTC-Columbia.

The Katuysha team will hope that their two strong leaders Filippo Pozzato and Robbie McEwen can decide out on the road who should lead the Russian squad. Pozzato has one HN in the past and so will be amped to add another win to his palmares, but McEwen could come through if the event finishes in a bunch sprint. Either way for Pozatto though, he needs a good result now if he is to be considered a favorite later in the year for Flanders and Paris-Roubaix.

Team Radioshack fields a competitive team for HN, with Gert Steegmans likely to lead the team in the semi-classic. Steegmans is a strongman with a good sprint, and he will shoulder the majority of the cobbled-classics load for Radioshack. If not Steegmans though, the veteran Thomas Vaitkus waits in the wings.

Team Saxo Bank lost some funding for 2010, but that doesn't mean they don't envision themselves as a major power player for all of the spring classics. They'll look to get their season off to a good start behind their one days specialists Matti Breschel, Baden Cooke and Stuart O'Grady. Breshel in particular seems well-suited to HN, and he'll look to gain some much needed confidence ahead of Flanders and Roubaix, where he'll team up with a conspicuously absent from HN, Fabian Cancellara.

The BMC squad comes to Belgium with a very solid lineup, headlined by former Flanders and world champion Alessandro Ballan, reigning US Pro champ George Hincapie and classics strongman Karsten Kroon. On paper, BMC looks to be the second strongest team at the HN besides Quick Step. In fact, they have even brought their fast finisher Marcus Burghardt, who should be considered a strong favorite for the win. Watch for the BMC party crashers to make their presence felt with a podium appearance by one of their stars.

The Omloop Het Nieuwsblad will kick the classics season off in grand fashion this February 27th. With such a deep field anything can happen, and if there is poor weather the results could be dramatically affected. With so many top riders looking to get their season started on a positive note, expect aggressive tactics from the opening gun. With so many variables it is tough to predict with certainty who will win the event, but the winner will likely come from the list above. 2010 cycling classics season, game on!