<div> <p>The Classics season has truly commenced, with Opening Weekend out of the way and regular trio Daniel Friebe, Lionel Birnie and Rob Hatch back to analyse the key takeaways from two intense days of racing on the cobbles and <em>hellingen</em> of Flanders. </p><p>On Saturday, Mathieu van der Poel’s latest masterclass suggested it could be a long spring for some of his rivals. MVDP’s eternal antagonist, Wout Van Aert, was absent from Visma-Lease a Bike’s line-up through illness, but that team could at least console themselves with Matthew Brennan’s superb victory in Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne on Sunday. We review both races and what they said about the coming weeks, with help from the ultimate authority on springtime racing in Belgium, Hugo Coorevits. </p><p>It was also a busy weekend in France, and a delirious one for patriotic French fans. Paul Seixas’s dominant performance at the Faun Ardèche Classic on Saturday prompted former rider turned pundit Jérôme Pineau to hail Seixas as “already the third best rider in the world”. We evaluate those claims and look ahead to Seixas’s first clash of the season with Tadej Pogačar at Strade Bianche. </p><p><strong>EPISODE SPONSORS</strong></p><p><strong>Indeed</strong><br>If you are looking to hire someone for your company, maybe the best way isn’t to search for a candidate but to match with Indeed. Go to <a href="http://indeed.com/cycle">indeed.com/cycle</a> now to get a £100 sponsored job credit and get matched with the perfect candidate fast.</p><p><strong>Bikmo<br></strong>This episode of The Cycling Podcast is brought to you by Bikmo cycle insurance – because let's face it, things happen. Whether it's a crash landing, the heartbreak of a stolen bike, or the ultimate facepalm moment of reversing over your prized aero wheel, Bikmo has you covered. Flexible policies that you can cancel anytime, 50% off extra bikes in your household, protection for your kit, race entries, and even damage while travelling to your next epic ride – they've thought of it all. Protect your ride before it's too late – head to <a href="http://bikmo.com">Bikmo.com</a> to get covered.</p><p><strong>Babbel</strong><br>Learn a language the fun, easy way with intuitive 15-minute lessons you can do when you want. Choose from 14 languages including Spanish, French, Italian and German. Listeners can get up to 60% off for a limited time only at <a href="http://www.babbel.com/cycle">www.babbel.com/cycle</a></p><p><strong>Follow us on social media:</strong><br><a href="https://twitter.com/cycling_podcast">Twitter @cycling_podcast</a><br><a href="https://www.instagram.com/thecyclingpodcast/">Instagram @thecyclingpodcast</a></p><p><strong>Friends of the Podcast</strong><br>Sign up as a Friend of the Podcast at <a href="http://thecyclingpodcast.com/">thecyclingpodcast.com</a> to listen to new special episodes every month plus a back catalogue of more than 300 exclusive episodes.</p><p><strong>The 11.01 Cappuccino</strong><br>Our regular email newsletter is now on Substack. <a href="https://thecyclingpodcast.substack.com/">Subscribe here</a> for frothy, full-fat updates to enjoy any time (as long as it’s after 11am).</p><p><strong>The Cannibal &amp; Badger</strong><br>Friends of the Podcast can join the discussion at our new virtual pub, The Cannibal &amp; Badger. A friendly forum to talk about cycling and the podcast. <a href="https://thecyclingpodcast.supportingcast.fm/">Log in</a> to your Friends of the Podcast account to join in.</p><p><a href="https://www.strava.com/clubs/thecyclingpodcast">The Cycling Podcast is on Strava</a></p><p><em>The Cycling Podcast was founded in 2013 by Richard Moore, Daniel Friebe and Lionel Birnie.</em></p></div>