Published March 4, 2026 03:28AM
Opening weekend in Flanders saw chaos, carnage, and the inevitable, with Omloop first-timer Mathieu van der Poel taking a dominating win and Demi Vollering showing some impressive early-season strength.
This episode of the Velo podcast has European editor and race correspondent Andrew Hood breaking down all the action from Belgium and answering Levy’s questions about how to stop MvdP’s dominance at the classics, why there were so many huge crashes, and when a podium feels like a victory.
Hoody and Levy also get into the action from Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne, where 20-year-old Matthew Brennan’s dominating sprint form has finally given Visma-Lease a Bike some good news.
They also preview this weekend’s Strade Bianche and weigh in on the chances of anyone beating Tadej Pogačar for his fourth win on the white roads, something that Tom Pidcock and Paul Seixas will be doing their best to prevent.