Nina Berton, Letizia Borghesi, Lotta Henttala, Nina Kessler, Sarah Roy, and Babette van der Wolf will roll through a cloud of pastry steam and frite fumes into ‘t Kuipke velodrome in Gent, where they will meet thousands of Belgian fans, who have have been waiting for their return to the muddy farm roads of Flanders since last April.

Vincenzo Albanese, Kasper Asgreen, Owain Doull, Mikkel Honoré, Madis Mihkels, Michael Valgren, and Marijn van den Berg will follow them on to the stage, ready for their own heart thumping, bone rattling race over the cobblestones and Flemish bergs. The same men’s squad will start Sunday at Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne.

For the women, the Omloop is 137.9 kilometers long, with eight key hills on the course – the Edelareberg, Wolvenberg, Molenberg, Leberg, Berendries, Elverenberg, Kapelmuur, and Bosberg. The men’s race is 198 kilometers with 11 hills in total – the Leberg twice, followed by the Valkenberg, Elkenberg, Wolvenberg, and Molenberg, before another passage over the Leberg, and then the Berendries, Elverenberg, Kapelmuur, and Bosberg.

The crux of both races is likely to come around the Kapelmuur, a steep ribbon of cobblestones that rises from the village of Geraardsbergen up to a small chapel overlooking the region’s grey, wooded hills. For years it was the decisive climb in the Ronde van Vlaanderen, the greatest of all the Flemish races, but has since been left off that course, so fans are all the keener to come watch the peloton rattle over its iconic stones at the Omloop.

Thousands will line its slopes on Saturday. The hill lies less than 20 kilometers from the finish, so the leading group at the summit is likely to duke it out for the win at the end.

The beauty of the Omloop is that the race could be decided at any moment though, especially if the wind is blowing or the cobbles are wet. Whatever the weather, there will be a no-holds-barred bunch sprint into the base of every climb, as riders attack into corners to hold their position in the peloton, hop potholes and roundabouts to move up, and barrel over every patch of cobblestones.

Lotta Henttala thrives in this sort of racing. The Finnish veteran, who has won races like Gent-Wevelgem and Dwaars door Vlaanderen in the past, will hit the Omloop with momentum after her win at the Trofeo Marratxi-Felanitx in Mallorca at the start of the season. Lotta will bet everything on getting over the final climbs with the front group to then ride to the finish in Ninove at the front of the race and unleash her sprint.

“ I haven't done Omloop in quite a few years, so I am, at the same time, excited and nervous,” she says, “but I think we have good roster for opening weekend. I hope we can do some good teamwork and pull it together and get a nice result. It's the first classic of the season. It's going to be nervous and hectic and exciting. It is a very unpredictable race and you just need to be prepared for every scenario.”

With Nina Berton and Nina Kessler, Letizia, Sarah and Babette by Lotta’s side, EF Education-Oatly will have strong cards to play on Saturday. Twenty-three-year-old Luxembourger Nina Berton wants to follow in Lotta’s slipstream and become a great classics rider like her. She already has a list of strong results in Belgium to her name. This spring could be her spring.

 ”My biggest goal and dream is to win at least one of the big classics, but the more the better,” she says. “This is my favorite time of the year. The classics are super exciting because it's full gas racing without much thinking. It is just one big elimination game and the atmosphere is really special. Cycling is so big in Flanders and the fans are crazy. Their cheers push you a lot.”

Kasper Asgreen wants to make this spring his as well. The Dane is a former Ronde van Vlaanderen winner and has ridden to victory at races like the E3 Saxo Bank Classic and Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne. So far, the Omloop has escaped him though. On Saturday, he wants to change that. He has been training hard all winter to make this spring count.

“You just feel all the history that is here in Flanders, all of the traditions of the races,” Kasper says. “You watched the races on television when you were a kid, saw all the people who were once your idols racing up those climbs, and now you're racing up them yourself. For me, that is still something really special. The fans in Belgium just love racing. They love supporting riders who are willing to take a chance to try to make the race. That is the way I like to race. For opening weekend,  challenging for the victory should be the goal.  We've got several chances. Valgren, Honoré, Albanese, and I can attack, and then we have got two fast guys in the line up with Marijn and Madis to cover behind. It is always good to have multiple opportunities in these races.”

Madis Mihkels cannot wait for his first classic in EF pink. The 21-year-old Estonian finished in the top ten at Paris-Roubaix last season and dreams of becoming a Flandrien: a title the Flemish people reserve for the toughest of tough bike racers. Madis loves racing on the cobblestones.

“It is always exciting racing in Belgium, especially with all the fans,” Madis says. “They are so passionate. The noise that the fans make on the climbs feels so special. The style of racing here suits me really well. Personally, I am hoping for a reduced bunch sprint, which I think can happen and has happened before. That would be pretty great for me if I have a good day and I'm also there. If the attacks go earlier, a guy like Kasper is so strong and has shown in the past that on a good day, he can follow the main guys and be there, so I can hold myself back a little bit and focus on the sprint.”

Once the peloton rolls onto the cobbles, Nina Berton is going to have a hard time holding herself back. She knows she needs to save her strength for the key climbs at the end.

“ I just want to have fun and go full gas and enjoy it, but also perform well with the team,” she says. “I want to race aggressively, as aggressively as possible, without doing stupid things that waste all of my energy.  You need to ride smart in the technical bits and stay safe in all the corners and save energy wherever you can, because in the end the ones who come the freshest into the later part of the race are the ones who will survive and make it to the final and win. The Muur is  a whole different vibe and a whole atmosphere. It's crazy. You just hear the people shouting and you are somewhere in your own world, but then you are also kind of taking it in. It’s like you are in slow-mo going up there.”

Slow-mo at 200 beats per minute, rattling over cobbles.

Get ready for a great weekend of racing. Find some fries and mayonnaise. Pop down to the shop and get the best Belgian beverage on the shelf. You will want to be 100 percent sure that you are watching when the pelotons race over the Kapelmuur on Saturday. It’s opening weekend. The classics are here!