Van Avermaet: I surprised myself with third place at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad

NINOVE BELGIUM FEBRUARY 26 Greg Van Avermaet of Belgium and AG2R Citren Team on third place pose on the podium ceremony after the 77th Omloop Het Nieuwsblad 2022 Mens Race a 2042km race from Ghent to Ninove OHN22 FlandersClassic WorldTour on February 26 2022 in Ninove Belgium Photo by Bas CzerwinskiGetty Images
Greg Van Avermaet (AG2R Citroën) on the podium at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad (Image credit: Bas Czerwinski/Getty Images)

At the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, there was only really one show in town as Jumbo-Visma's Wout van Aert put on a clinical display to claim a solo victory in Ninove.

Such was the dominant nature of his win — dropping his rivals on the Bosberg before arriving home 22 seconds up on anybody else — that Flandrian papers Het Nieuwsblad and Het Laatste Nieuws later broke out superlatives such as 'unbeatable' and 'he stands above all else'.

Senior News Writer

Dani Ostanek is Senior News Writer at Cyclingnews, having joined in 2017 as a freelance contributor and later being hired full-time. Before joining the team, she had written for numerous major publications in the cycling world, including CyclingWeekly and Rouleur. She writes and edits at Cyclingnews as well as running newsletter, social media, and how to watch campaigns.

Dani has reported from the world's top races, including the Tour de France, Road World Championships, and the spring Classics. She has interviewed many of the sport's biggest stars, including Mathieu van der Poel, Demi Vollering, and Remco Evenepoel, and her favourite races are the Giro d'Italia, Strade Bianche and Paris-Roubaix.

Season highlights from 2024 include reporting from Paris-Roubaix –  'Unless I'm in an ambulance, I'm finishing this race' – Cyrus Monk, the last man home at Paris-Roubaix – and the Tour de France – 'Disbelief', gratitude, and family – Mark Cavendish celebrates a record-breaking Tour de France sprint win.

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