The opening race of the Spring Classics provided a host of hot tech to sink our teeth into.
Horror was spread across the cycling world when Visma-Lease a Bike riders were spotted wearing time trial helmets during their recon ride. Elsewhere, we seem to have a settling of tyre sizes, with pros running wide rubber across the board.
There were also new products galore, with Specialized looking close to releasing an updated S-Works Turbo tubeless tyre (fitted to an unreleased Roval wheel, no less). British star, Tom Pidcock, also appears to have a new Zipp wheelset with an integrated TyreWiz pressure sensor.
Let's take a look at some of the new tech spotted at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad 2025 – and watch the video below for our full rundown of Opening Weekend tech.
Time-trial helmets for road racing are a thing now
Perhaps inspired by Visma-Lease a Bike's star rider, Wout van Aert, a fair number of riders lined up in a go-faster lid.
Riders from EF's men's and women's teams sported the Poc Procen Air helmet, resplendent with a TT-style visor.
Traditionalists may be aghast at the unusual look of such helmets, but for riders such as Visma-Lease a Bike's Matthew Brennan, the simple promise of free speed more than makes up for that – he candidly said that he'd been told the Giro Aerohead was faster, so he was happy to wear it.
Speaking before the start, however, his teammate Matteo Jorgenson admitted his team were simply trying to mess with the heads of other riders. Well played, Visma.
SRAM gravel gearing… in a road race?
Lidl-Trek's Emma Norsgaard lined up for Omloop aboard a very interesting Trek Madone SLR Gen 8.
The Dane paired SRAM's Red XPLR AXS gravel rear derailleur and matching 13-speed, 10-44t cassette, with a large, 52t 1x aero chainring.
And there was variation on 2x setups too. Most of the Shimano-sponsored men chose the standard 54/40t pairing.
New tech from Specialized, Roval and Zipp
There was a host of new tech on display, starting with new tubeless tyres from Specialized. These were mounted to a new Roval front wheel.
Unfortunately for 2024 Men's winner, Jan Tratnik, his new tyres punctured on the crucial run into the Muur van Geraardsbergen climb – and that was his race run.
Tom Pidcock, meanwhile, had what looked to be brand new wheels from Zipp.
Their headline feature is one that you could easily miss, though. Zipp seems to have integrated a Quarq TyreWiz pressure sensor into the rim at the valve hole. The blinking red light was like a beacon to a tech-hungry journalist.
Saddle solutions
There's no variation like saddle variations, and this is where we saw the majority of sponsor-incorrect choices.
Aero hacks, odd quirks and basic bodges
Mechanics leave no stone unturned in the pursuit of eking out every last watt saved, with some ingenious solutions on show.
Elsewhere, charmingly basic bodges and unusual tech choices proved that even the pros are human too.
Here are a few highlights.
