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. 

The spring classics kick off Saturday, February 27th with a strong field of cobbled specialists headlining the men's field at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad. 

Here are 21 of the biggest names competing in the virtual Tour de Suisse–the Digital Swiss 5–beginning on April 22 and ending on April 26.

Zdenek Stybar (Deceuninck-Quick Step) puts Omloop Het Nieuwsblad high up on the list of one-day races. He says this is thanks to its new final that like the Tour of Flanders years ago, climbs the Muur and Bosberg.