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Duchesne confirmed for Belgian opening weekend races

Karol-Ann Canuel to line up at women's Omloop Het Nieuwsblad

February 21, 2018
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Antoine “Tony the Tiger” Duchesne has been confirmed to start the two races of the Belgian opening weekend this upcoming Saturday and Sunday. Duchesne will race for FDJ in the 2018 WorldTour’s first one-day race in Europe, the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, before starting the 1.HC-rated Kuurne-Bruxelles-Kuurne.

https://twitter.com/ProCyclingStats/status/966313038935674880

Both contests contain the usual cobbles, climbs and cobbled climbs of Northwest Europe’s early spring calendar. Greg Van Avermaet has won the Omloop for two straight years and Peter Sagan is the reigning KBK champion, but of the two only BMC’s Belgian will be lining up on the opening weekend. Van Avermaet, winner of the 2017 WorldTour, will find resistance from Sep Vanmarcke (EF-Drapac), Tiejs Benoot (Lotto-Soudal) and Quick Step’s trio of Zdenek Stybar, Niki Terpstra and Dries Devenyns.

The Omloop will be Duchesne’s first one-day race for new squad FDJ (to be called Groupama-FDJ in March) and his first race since the Tour Down Under in which he placed 98th.

Earlier in the month Tony the Tiger and teammates did some recon in Belgium.

The Strade Bianche kickoff of the 2018 Women’s WorldTour is just under two weeks to go, but the women’s Omloop features Canadian Karol-Ann Canuel and her Boels-Dolmans teammate Chantal Blaak, the world champion. The Sunweb duo of reigning champ Lucinda Brand and Coryn Rivera will also be in the mix, along with current Strade Bianche titlist Elisa Longo Borghini.