Marianne Vos (Visma-Lease a Bike) celebrates her win at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad 2024 (Image credit: Getty Images)
Omloop Het Nieuwsblad Women Information
The Spring Classics kicks off annually at 'opening weekend' with Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, and this year, it takes place on March 1, 2025. The women race 137.9km between Ghent and the finish in Ninove.
Now in its 20th edition, the race upgraded from the Pro Series to the Women's WorldTour in 2023.
Organisers Flanders Classics currently oversees six of the most popular Spring Classics, beginning with Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and continuing with Gent-Wevelgem, Dwars door Vlaanderen, Tour of Flanders, Scheldeprijs and Brabantse Pijl.
Omloop Het Nieuwsblad Elite Women History
Opening Weekend is a two-race show on the women's calendar beginning at the top-tier Omloop Het Nieuwsblad Elite Women, held on March 1 in Belgium and Omloop van het Hageland on March 2. This year marks the 20th edition of Omloop Het Nieuwsblad Elite Women.
The inaugural winner was Suzanne de Goede in 2006, who won again in 2009. The one-day race has seen a host of champions on the top step of the podium, including Mie Lacota, Kirsten Wild, Emma Johansson (twice), Loes Gunnewijk, Tiffany Cromwell, Amy Pieters, Anna van der Breggen (twice), Lizzie Deignan, Lucinda Brand, Christina Siggaard, Chantal van den Broek-Blaak and Annemiek van Vleuten (twice) and Lotte Kopecky.
