Omloop Het Nieuwsblad 2024

Jan Tratnik continues Visma-Lease a bike Omloop Het Nieuwsblad dominance with win from break/As it happened

For a third year in a row Visma-Lease a Bike has claimed victory at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad after Jan Tratnik won a two-up sprint against Nils Politt (UAE Team Emirates) in Meerbeke. 

The pair escaped with 9km left delivering an unexpected twist in the finale as while it was no surprise that the team with such depth had taken another victory, it wasn't the rider that had been expected.

Tratnik had entered the race "more in a domestique role" but when his attack from the front group, joined by Politt, held firm despite the attempts by Lotto-Dstny to shut it down for Arnaud de Lie it was the Slovenian that delivered for Visma-Lease a Bike. When Politt opened up the sprint, with the lead bunch in view behind, Tratnik quickly jumped from behind his break companion to claim the win.

Wout van Aert made it two on the podium for the team, winning the sprint for third place just behind the front two.

Results powered by FirstCycling

Omloop Het Nieuwsblad Information

In 2024, Omloop Het Nieuwsblad was the first WorldTour race on European soil, taking place on February 24.

Omloop Het Nieuwsblad marked the traditional opening of the spring Classics and has historically been heralded by some as the beginning of 'serious' racing in Europe. The main spring period may be a little further away, but the gentle early-season racing is out of the way and the tone will be set for the spring. 

The race, which held its 79th edition in 2024, takes place in the heart of the Flemish Ardennes, on many of the same cobbles and bergs as the Tour of Flanders five weeks down the line. Omloop Het Nieuwsblad was first held in 1945, and in that time, three editions have been missed - 1960, 1986, and 2004 - largely due to the wintery conditions that often strike Belgium in February.

Formerly known as Omloop Het Volk, the merging of newspaper companies now means the race is named after the Flemish daily, Het Nieuwsblad. Together with the 1.Pro Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne the very next day, Omloop Het Nieuwsblad forms one part of what's widely known as the 'Opening Weekend'. 

Jean Bogaerts was the first winner and Belgians have gone on to dominate the race, with only 20 winners from outside the home nation. Three Belgians - Ernest Sterckx, Joseph Bruyère, Peter Van Petegem - hold the joint record of three victories. 

Last year, Dylan van Baarle marked his debut for Jumbo-Visma with an emphatic solo victory. The Dutchman powered clear in a group of four riders after the Molenberg and he then proceeded to drop his breakaway companions one by one on the remaining climbs to claim the win. Arnaud De Lie (Lotto-Dstny) won the sprint for second place ahead of Van Baarle’s teammate Christophe Laporte

Join Cyclingnews for live coverage of the 2024 Spring Classics, and check in after each race for our full report, results, gallery, news and features. And get unlimited access to all of our coverage of the Spring Classics - including reporting, breaking news and analysis from Strade Bianche, Tour of Flanders, Paris-Roubaix and more. Find out more.

Omloop Nieuwsblad route

The route for the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad follows the usual path, starting at 't Kuipke in Gent and using the same run-out to the cluster of loops to hit all of the important hellingen outside of Oudenaarde.

The first climb comes after Brakel when riders hit the Leberg after just 39.3km of racing, and it's too early to be of note. The race begins to heat up on the second climb, the Kattenberg, at kilometer 103.4.

Riders tackle the Leberg again after 113km then begin tackling all of the famous sectors of cobbles and bergs. The Valkenburg comes at kilometre 137, followed by the Wolvenberg, Molenberg, and another trip over the Leberg en route to Geraardsbergen.

Climbs from the old course of the Tour of Flanders follow - the Berendries, Elverenberg and finally the famous Muur-Kapelmuur and Bosberg with 15.7 and 11.8km remaining.

Omloop Nieuwsblad Schedule

How to watch

Cyclingnews will bring you full live coverage, reports, results, news, interviews and analysis of the 2024 Omloop Het Nieuwsblad. 

The 2024 Omloop Het Nieuwsblad will be aired live and in full in Belgium via Sporza/VRT. The stream is free-to-air in Belgium, though geo-blocked for those outside the country. The race will be aired by FloBikes in both the USA and in Canada, and broadcast via Eurosport and Discovery+ for viewers in the UK. 

For information about subscription-based broadcasts and VPN services, read our "How to watch" guide.

Omloop Nieuwsblad teams

• Alpecin-Deceuninck
• Arkéa-B&B Hotels
• Astana Qazaqstan
• Bahrain Victorious
• Bora-Hansgrohe
• Cofidis
• Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale
• EF Education-EasyPost
• Groupama-FDJ
• Ineos Grenadiers
• Intermarché-Wanty
• Jayco-AlUla
• Lidl-Trek
• Movistar Team
• Soudal-Quickstep
• Team dsm-firmenich-PostNL
• UAE Team Emirates
• Visma-Lease a Bike
• Lotto Dstny
• Israel-Premier Tech
• Uno-X Mobility
• Bingoal-WB
• Flanders-Baloise
• Q36.5 Pro Cycling
• Tudor Pro Cycling

Start list

Data powered by FirstCycling