Tomorrow starts the much-loved opening weekend in Belgium, the weekend where the cobbled classics campaign officially starts and with the World Tour one-day race opener at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad. Bahrain Victorious' Sonny Colbrelli is set to return to competition, after conquering his first monument last year.
“The Opening Weekend is always hard and especially Omloop is a stress and challenge for every rider. We are here with a very strong team and they show already that they are in great condition with some starting their season this weekend," said team DS Enrico Poitschke.
He added: "The goal for both races is to obviously fight for victory and we have the leaders that we will work for in order to try and grab the win!”
Bahrain will have the season debut of Sonny Colbrelli who should, alongside Matej Mohoric, co-lead the team into a race that suits his characteristics. Although hard, Omloop Het Nieuwsblad is not as selective as some of the other Belgian classics, and last year was a good example as a peloton of 45 riders made it to the finish in Ninove. The Italian has had two pre-season training camp in Gran Canaria, where Chris Froome is currently training, and should have a full tilt at the cobbled classics, perhaps having a revalidation of his Paris-Roubaix title as the main goal.
Bahrain Victorious for Omloop Het Nieuwsblad: Sonny Colbrelli, Matej Mohoric, Phil Bauhaus, Kamil Gradek, Heinrich Haussler, Luis León Sánchez and Fred Wright.
Rúben SilvaEditor-in-Chief
A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
Beyond editorial work, he has been closely involved in the expansion and coordination of CyclingUpToDate’s wider network, helping establish and support sister platforms across multiple languages. This includes ongoing collaboration with CiclismoAlDia (Spanish), CiclismoAtual (Portuguese), WielrennenUpToDate (Dutch), and RadsportAktuell (German), contributing to a shared editorial vision and consistent international coverage.
He also helps oversee editorial governance across the network, setting standards for accuracy and consistency and coordinating updates or corrections when needed.
Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
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Meet our team for the @OmloopHNB and the @KuurneBxlKuurne 🇩🇪 @PhilBauhaus 🇮🇹 @sonnycolbrelli 🇵🇱 @kamilgradek 🇦🇺 Heinrich Haussler 🇸🇮 @matmohoric 🇪🇸 @LLEONSANCHEZ 🇬🇧 @fred_wright0 #OHN22 #kbk2022 #kbk 🔗 bit.ly/3phzDrY
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