In less than ten days, the Spring Classics will begin, and the Omloop het Nieuwsblad will be the first race to feature both men and women. In the men's race, Van Aert will be the most anticipated rider, but he will have to contend with riders of the caliber of De Lie, Girmay, and Pidcock. Among the women, Vollering, Wiebes, Niewiadoma, and also our Elisa Balsamo, Chiara Consonni, and Silvia Persico will race in this Classic that will celebrate its jubilee with the twentieth edition. This is a moment that Flanders Classics will not let pass unnoticed, and for the occasion, they intend to organize a surprise to highlight the importance of women's cycling in Belgium, which also wants to convey a message of equality between athletes of different sexes.

Before the start of the races, on Emile Clauslaan in Ghent, as tradition dictates, all teams will be welcomed on the starting podium at 't Kuipke. For many enthusiasts, the race already begins when the teams are presented, and this edition packed with champions will once again be the first moment of celebration.

"We are about to celebrate a jubilee," said Tomas Van Den Spiegel, CEO of Flanders Classics – "This year we will have the twentieth edition of the women's race and we don't want it to go unnoticed. With our Closing The Gap project, in recent years we have supported women's cycling, together with our partner KPMG and all other partners. We are therefore happy to raise a glass to toast the continuous growth of the women's race, and there is no better time to do so at the start of the twentieth edition of the classic that opens the season."

Starting this year, Maes will be the new Main Partner for Flanders Classics' spring season and to celebrate both the women's jubilee and this new collaboration, they have decided to dedicate a limited edition beer can and a special event glass that will be given to the public during the women's race presentation. The glass will be a true collector's item that reflects the moments of friendship that the race brings with it.

But after the toast offered by Maes, there will be the race, and there won't be much joking around, because the participants will certainly be fierce.

The list of participants is still provisional, but important names are not lacking. With Tiffany Cromwell (Canyon//SRAM zondacrypto) and Elisabeth Deignan (Lidl-Trek), the winners from 2023 and 2016 will be racing. The former will probably be at the service of Katarzyna Niewiadoma and Chiara Consonni, and the latter will work for Elisa Balsamo. The Team SD Worx-Protime with European champion Lorena Wiebes and Mischa Bredewold should also be taken into great consideration.

Demi Vollering will also be there, who in 2022 was forced to surrender to Annemiek van Vleuten's superiority, but the Dutch rider hopes to do better this year with the colors of her new team, FDJ-Suez. At the start will also be Puck Pieterse (Fenix-Deceuninck), Letizia Paternoster (Liv-AlUla-Jayco), Pfeiffer Georgi (Team Picnic PostNL), Silvia Persico (UAE Team ADQ), and Justine Ghekiere (AG Insurance - Soudal Team).