It’s another packed week of early-season racing, as we look back on the key action from the UAE, Andalusia and the Algarve last week – and ahead to Belgium’s Opening Weekend.

Daniel Friebe, Lionel Birnie and Rob Hatch focus first on the Volta ao Algarve, where Paul Seixas cranked up the hype around his short and long-term future with a stunning stage win and top-three overall finish. The winner of that race overall was Juan Ayuso, now of Lidl-Trek and formerly UAE. The rider who some might argue made Ayuso expendable at UAE, Isaac del Toro, ruled the roost at the UAE Tour. 

Our Omloop Nieuwsblad preview is also an opportunity to find out whether there’s any truth to rumours about perhaps the biggest star of the recent Winter Olympics joining Uno-X. Team manager Thor Hushovd sets us straight on that, plus we visit our own Belgian Classics oracle in Coorevits Corner. 

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The Cycling Podcast was founded in 2013 by Richard Moore, Daniel Friebe and Lionel Birnie.