French rider Christophe Laporte won the Ghent-Wevelgem Classic ahead of his Belgian leader and Jumbo-Visma teammate Wout Van Aert on Sunday in a rain-lashed race that swept over cobbles and past World War I landscapes.

Biniam Girmay of Eritrea won the prestigious Gent Wevelgem classic on Sunday, becoming the first sub-Saharan cyclist to win a one-day classic.

The Belgian Classics season is in full swing, with the 83rd edition of Gent – Wevelgem this Sunday. 

Davide Ballerini continued his strong start to the cycling season by sprinting to victory on Saturday in the Het Nieuwsblad, the opening Belgian classic of the year.

The 2021 Flemish Classics opening weekend is just hours away. Omloop Het Nieuwsblad is the first of the spring classics for the men, and the first race in Europe for the majority of the women's WorldTour peloton.

Omloop Het Nieuwsblad is the kickoff weekend for the spring classics, specifically the cobbled classics. At 200 kilometers long, Omloop is not as big a day in the saddle for the men as the Tour of Flanders, but Omloop asserts itself on the calendar in ways other than distance. 

Sep Vanmarcke is riding the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad as he builds up for a classics campaign and an eventual defense role for new team captain Chris Froome in the Tour de France.

Egan Bernal, Geraint Thomas and Ineos make their season debut in Southern France at the Etoile de Bessèges stage race. The five day race features four stages on technical circuits with punchy climbs, and culminates with an 11km time trial.