Omloop Het Nieuwsblad - Live report

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All the action from the first race on the Belgian calendar

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The peloton has gathered at the Kuipke velodrome in Ghent for the start of Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, the first race on the Belgian calendar and the first true test for the Classics contenders this spring. The roll out is at 11.35 local time, with the peloton due to hit kilometre zero at 11.45.

It's currently 11 degrees and overcast in Ghent, but the Omloop peloton can expect to be buffeted by wind and rain before they arrive in Ninove this afternoon, by which point the temperature will have dropped to single figures.

There are 13 hellingen crammed into the 200km of today's race. The running order is as follows:

There are also nine further sections of cobbles, including three passages over the jarring stretch at Haaghoek. The running order is:

Patrick Fletcher has compiled a list of some of the dangermen at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad today and Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne tomorrow. Read his list of the 10 riders to watch here.

Greg Van Avermaet has won Omloop on two occasions, in 2016 and 2017, and placed second on two more, in 2014 and 2019. The Belgian has finished in the top 6 in seven of the last eight editions of the race, and it would be a surprise if he is not hugely involved at the business end again this afternoon. "Winning is a different thing – there are lots of factors in play there, but it's most important that you can play your cards in the final," Van Avermaet told Cyclingnews at the Volta ao Algarve. Daniel Ostanek has the full story here.

The peloton is making its way through the neutralised zone, with a slight but persistent drizzle falling over Ghent. 

There is one non-starter to report, with Alexis Gougeard (AG2R La Mondiale) a late withdrawal.

-200km

-196km

And at that, a break does begin to take shape… Senne Leysen (Alpecin-Fenix), Mathijs Paasschens (Bingoal - Wallonie Bruxelles) and Lluís Mas (Movistar) have opened a small gap over the peloton.

-192km

Manuele Boaro (Astana) and Matteo Jorgensen (Movistar) have bridged across to the escapees. This added horsepower could give the move fresh impetus. 

-198km

Kenneth Vanbilsen (Cofidis) is in lone pursuit of the five-man break, but this seems a rather ambitious endeavour. He is 55 seconds behind the escapees, while the peloton is now at 1:10.

-185km

Away from Opening Weekend, the headlines have been dominated in recent days by the cancellation of the final two stages of the UAE Tour due to an apparent coronavirus scare. The entire race - riders, supporting staff, organisation and media - have been placed under precautionary quarantine since Thursday evening, but there has been precious little by way of firm information provided to those in Abu Dhabi by the local authorities. One of the few official pronouncements arrived last night, with a statement from the Abu Dhabi Department of Health confirming that that 167 tests conducted on people possibly exposed to Covid-19 while at the UAE Tour have come back negative. Read more here.

Vanbilsen has given up his forlorn pursuit, while the peloton's pace has slowed considerably since those frantic opening kilometres. The break's lead is widening accordingly.

-177km

A mechanical problem in the break for Lluís Mas (Movistar), who gets a quick bike change and then chases back up to his companions.

The escapees are not far from the first sector of cobbles today, the first of three passages over the Haaghoek. That is followed promptly by the first of the race's 13 bergs, the Leberg. 

-165km

-161km

The break covered 39.1km in the first hour of racing.

-160km

As if to herald Omloop's entry into the cobbles and hills of the Flemish Ardennes, the heavens have opened and sheets of heavy rain are falling.

-158km

Situation

Jonathan Dibben (Lotto Soudal) has abandoned the race. The break's lead, meanwhile, has been pared back to 5:30 after the first Haaghoek-Leberg combination of the day.

-149km

Yoann Offredo (Wanty-Gobert) is the next rider to abandon the race. Conditions are increasingly miserable. 

-140km

The wind howls, the rain falls and the break continues to navigate these treacherous conditions with a lead of 5:30 over the peloton. The five men up front are: Senne Leysen (Alpecin-Fenix), Mathijs Paasschens (Bingoal - Wallonie Bruxelles), Lluís Mas (Movistar), Manuele Boaro (Astana) and Matteo Jorgensen (Movistar).

There's a shade under 80km left in the women's Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, where a reduced peloton is at the head of the race. It's the first Classic of the women's season and Kirsten Frattini has a comprehensive preview of the spring calendar here.

-135km

Dylan Teuns' early season form has many placing him among the contenders. He placed 5th last year in what was his only cobbled Classic of 2019. He has signalled his ambition by pencilling in more Flemish races to his calendar this time out, but Oliver Naesen (AG2R La Mondiale) did not seem utterly convinced by his prospects when speaking to Het Nieuwsblad this week. "Super, hey. Put the finish of the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad on top of the Berendries and he is my favorite number one," Naesen said. "But the finish is in Meerbeke. ”

-130km

For now, 10 seconds separate the front two echelons of this splintered peloton. The split took shape just prior to the cobbles at Huisepontweg. 

The injection of pace, meanwhile, has seen the break's advantage slashed to four minutes. 

A mechanical problem at a most inopportune moment for Kasper Asgreen (Deceuninck-QuickStep)... The gap between the two parts of the peloton has stretched out to 24 seconds.

-125km

There are just 14 riders in the echelon that formed off the front of the main peloton. They are 2:40 down on the five leaders and 30 seconds ahead of the rest of the bunch.

-122km

There are 16 riders in the echelon that forged clear of the peloton: Wout van Aert, Pasal Eenkhoorn (Jumbo-Visma), Zdenek Stybar, Tim Declercq (Deceuninck-QuickStep), Tim Wellens (Lotto Soudal), Mads Pedersen, Ryan Mullen, Jasper Stuyven, Alex Kirsch (Trek-Segafredo), Ian Stannard, Owain Doull, Luke Rowe, Ben Swift (Ineos), Lukas Postlberger (Bora-Hansgrohe), Nils Politt (Israel Start-Up Nation) and Nils Eekhoff (Sunweb). 

-117km

Cofidis and CCC are riding in the main peloton in a bid to bring this move back, but there is considerable firepower. Trek-Segafredo have four men up there, while Ineos have five. 

That 16-man group is drawing ever close to the five escapees. 50 seconds the gap, while the rest of the bunch is 1:35 behind the five leaders.

-110km

-107km

A mechanical issue for Alexander Kristoff (UAE Team Emirates) in the main peloton. He gets a quick bike change and now faces into a tough, lone pursuit. 

-104km

A crash in the main peloton. Casper Pedersen (Sunweb) and Marcel Sieberg (Bahrain-McLaren) are among the riders to go down after a touch of wheels.

-102km

The peloton, however, is on the cusp of linking up with those front men ahead of the Katteberg.

Greg Van Avermaet (CCC) is pictured chasing back up to the peloton. The Olympic champion may well have been caught up in that crash, but he doesn't appear to have gone down.

-101km

-100km

Kristoff, incidentally, is clutching an Allen key and attempting to adjust his saddle height as he climbs the Katteberg. A distinctly Flandrien kind of multi-tasking

-97km

The peloton is off the Holleweg and headed towards the second passage over the Haaghoek-Leberg combination. The pace is high but the group remains together for the time being.

The road is wide for the time being, which means there will inevitably be a pinch point once the race hits the cobbles at Haaghoek, hence Ineos, Jumbo-Visma, Lotto Soudal and Trek-Segafredo are among the teams vying for the front positions.

-94km

Haussler is looking very strong indeed. Meanwhile, some riders been shaken loose of the peloton as it clattered across the Haaghoek.

-90km

The bunch is lined out over the other side of the Leberg, and it may be about to split into echelons as the race heads into a section of crosswind.

Valgren, Van Aert, Lampaert, Matteo Trentin,  Oliver Naesen, Greg Van Avermaet, Stefan Kung, Heinrich Haussler, Benoot, Stuyven and Sep Vanmarcke are all in this front echelon of 15 or so riders. The bunch has splintered into a number of echelons and this could be a pivotal moment in this edition of Omloop Het Nieuwsblad.

-85km

-83km

Wout van Aert shows his strength by accelerating to the front on the Paddestraat and opening a decent gap over the rest of this elite front group. Heinrich Haussler gives lone pursuit.

Haussler joins Van Aert at the front, and this duo will come off the Paddestraat with a lead over the chasing group. Will they press on or wait for reinforcements?

-81km

The day's next climb is the Rekelberg in around 10km or so. 

-78km

Despite the headwind, Matteo Trentin tries to bring another group clear. Tim Declercq follows, bringing the rest of this reduced peloton with him.

-75km

-74km

-73km

-71km

The eight riders at the head of the race are: Matteo Trentin (CCC), Yves Lampaert, Tim Declercq (Deceuninck-QuickStep), Jasper Stuyven (Trek-Segafredo), Mike Teunissen (Jumbo-Visma), Frederik Frison (Lotto Soudal), Jonas Rutsch (EF Pro Cycling), Soren Kragh Andersen (Sunweb). They have a lead of 20 seconds or so over an Ineos-led peloton that contains around 40 riders. 

-68km

Situation

Ian Stannard leads the chase on helling 6, the Valkenberg. 16 seconds the gap.

Nils Politt is part of a three-man move attempting to punch their way across to the eight leaders over the other side of the Valkenberg.

-62km

Jonas Rutsch (EF Pro Cycling) loses contact with the break, leaving seven men in front with a lead of 1:05 over the peloton: Matteo Trentin (CCC), Yves Lampaert, Tim Declercq (Deceuninck-QuickStep), Jasper Stuyven (Trek-Segafredo), Mike Teunissen (Jumbo-Visma), Frederik Frison (Lotto Soudal), Soren Kragh Andersen (Sunweb)

Stefan Kung accelerates in the peloton, hoping to bring a group across to the leaders. His move is almost immediately snuffed out. There is a spread of teams in represented in front, and no squad seems willing to take responsibility for the chase behind.

-59km

The road ahead features the following climbs:

-58km

Some concise instructions from Tom Steels in the Deceuninck-QuickStep car, brought to us via a dashboard camera. "Yves, this isn't your first time in the final. Tim, you work for Yves." The Deceuninck-QuickStep hierarchy in this front group couldn't be any clearer.  

-56km

These seven leaders now have 2:20 over the 40-strong bunch. There is still a long, long way to go, but this is a big gap for a group of this quality at this point in the race...

-55km

In the Trek-Segafredo car, Steven de Jongh issues his instructions to Jasper Stuyven, his team's representative in the front group: "No cooperation behind. You're going to stay in front a long time. Eat and drink, eat and drink."

Jumbo-Visma, Trek-Segafredo, Deceuninck-QuickStep, Lotto Soudal, Sunweb and CCC all have men in the break, so none of them have any reason to work behind, hence the 2:26 gap to the peloton.

Lukas Postlberger (Bora-Hansgrohe) understands that he cannot rely on any team to bring the break back, so the Austrian launches an ambitious lone pursuit on the cobbles at Ruiterstraat. Niki Terpstra (Total-Direct Energie) is also trying to forge across alone.

-53km

Postlberger maintains his determined line pursuit, 1:50 behind the leaders. Jenthe Biermas (Israel Start-Up Nation), Pascal Eenkhoorn (Jumbo-Visma), Dries Van Gestel (Total-Direct Energie) and Heinrich Haussler (Bahrain-McLaren) are chasing a little further behind, while the peloton appears to have given up the pursuit altogether.

-50km

The escapees hit the cobbles at Jagerij with a lead of 1:51 over Lukas Pöstlberg (Bora-Hansgrohe), Jenthe Biermas (Israel Start-Up Nation), Pascal Eenkhoorn (Jumbo-Visma), Dries Van Gestel (Total-Direct Energie) and Heinrich Haussler (Bahrain-McLaren) and 2:33 over the peloton.

The next climb on the agenda is the Molenberg, in around 5km. This leading group of seven seems content to collaborate for the time being, though with such a hefty - and possibly decisive lead - over the peloton, their unity could well fragment long before the anticipated denouement over the Muur and Bosberg.

Not surprisingly, Tim Declercq is putting in a huge shift at the head of this break on behalf of his teammate Yves Lampaert.

Situation

-43km

Frison and Declercq are distanced just as the cobbled climb ends and now they must close the gap on the smooth and very false flat that follows over the top...

Declercq and Frison latch back onto the front group as the road descends once again. This break has two minutes in hand on the chasers and 2:50 on the bunch.

-40km

Sep Vanmarcke (EF Pro Cycling) and Wout van Aert (Jumbo-Visma) attack from the main peloton and this pairing is committed to a very long and ambitious pursuit of the break.

Annemiek van Vleuten has won the women's Omloop Het Nieuwsblad after soloing clear over the Muur. Details available here.

-38km

Situation

-35km

-33km

Four climbs remain on the agenda:

-32km

Wout van Aert accelerates in the main peloton with Tiesj Benoot on his wheel...

-30km

Situation

Pascal Eenkhoorn puts in a long turn on the front of the chasing group after Van Aert bridges across. They are 1:17 down on the seven leaders - which, remember, includes their Jumbo-Visma teammate Mike Teunissen.

-27km

Situation:

Heinrich Haussler comes to the front of the chasing group. The Australian has looked very strong indeed this afternoon. Whatever the outcome in Ninove, this augurs well for his Classics campaign.

-24km

Situation

-22km

Clement Venturini leads the peloton for his AG2R La Mondiale leader Oliver Naesen, but he is making no inroads into the leading septet's advantage of 1:40.

-20km

-19km

-18km

And then there were six. Tim Declercq is distanced on the cobbles just before the Muur proper begins, though the Belgian is desperately trying to stay in contact.

Declercq briefly rides on the pavement and that brings him back up to the coattails of the group as the Muur proper begins. 

Lampaerts hits the front as the climb begins. Stuyven and Andersen follow. Trentin is distanced, as are Frison and Declercqu.

Stuyven leads Lampaert and this part look to be forging clear of the rest. Andersen grimly tries to limit the damage. Trentin struggles a little further behind.

-17km

Declercq, Frison and Trentin are next over the top. Teunissen is on his own a little further behind.

The peloton hits the Muur, where Naesen, Van Avermaet, Van Aert and Stybar inject pace and split the group, but their deficit to the leaders is surely too much.

-15km

-14km

Trentin is alone in fourth place on the road, in pursuit of the three leaders. He has about 10 seconds to recoup. Teunissen is a further 10 seconds or so behind Trentin.

-13km

Stuyven grinds on the final stretch of cobbles, but he can't rid himself of Lampaert and Andersen...

-12km

Lampaert flicks his elbow at Andersen, who passes on the message to Stuyven. If there is an impasse in front, Trentin could yet claw his way back up to the leaders.

-11km

-10km

-8km

-7km

Tim Declercq and Frison have joined Teunissen, 1:09 down on the three leaders.

-5km

The three leaders are still collaborating but now that their common enemy Trentin is out of the picture at 20 seconds, will their unity come to an end?

-4km

Stuyen, Lampaert and Andersen have 21 seconds on Trentin and 1:15 on the Teunissen group.

-3km

-2km

Stuyven tries to go over the top of Lampaert, who sprints to stay on his rear wheel. That may have done for Andersen, unless there is a lull...

-1.5km

-1km

Lampaert is going to force Stuyven to lead almost all the way through this final kilometre...

Stuyven leads into the final bend...

Lampaert opens his sprint but Stuyven kicks at the same time...

Jasper Stuyven (Trek-Segafredo) wins Omloop Het Nieuwsblad.

Yves Lampaert (Deceuninck-QuickStep) is second in the two-up sprint. Søren Kragh Andersen (Sunweb) takes third.

Matteo Trentin (CCC) comes home alone to take 4th.

Tim Declercq (Deceuninck-QuickStep) takes 5th, 1:30 down, just as the remnants of the bunch closes in on him.

Result

Jasper Stuyven wins the 2020 Omloop Het Nieuwsblad.

Jasper Stuyven wins the 2020 Omloop Het Nieuwsblad. (Image credit: Getty Images)

Jasper Stuyven beats Yves Lampaert to win Omloop Het Nieuwsblad.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Jasper Stuyven won a stage of the Vuelta a Espana in 2015, Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne in 2016 and the Deutschland Tour in 2019, but the 2020 Omloop Het Nieuwsblad is, without question, the biggest victory of his career to date. After a disappointing Classics campaign twelve months ago, he has marked himself out as a contender for the Tour of Flanders this time out, albeit with the usual Opening Weekend caveat: no Omloop winner has gone on to claim the Ronde in the same year.

Stuyven speaks: "It’s a great pleasure to show that I am back. Last season, I was constantly chasing after the fact. But we did end the year well with Mads Pedersen’s world title. We were motivated to continue in that line this season, and we’re succeeding very well. Omloop is the biggest victory of my career.”

Result

Thanks for following our live coverage of Omloop Het Nieuwsblad on Cyclingnews today. You can find a full report, results and pictures here, and we'll be back with more from Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne tomorrow. In the meantime, Patrick Fletcher and Brecht Decaluwe will have all the news and reaction from Omloop.

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