Claes takes the biggest win of her career at 31(Image credit: Getty Images)
Claes celebrates with the trophy after the biggest win of her career(Image credit: Getty Images)
Vollering crosses the line in third(Image credit: Getty Images)
The final podium at the 2025 OHN Women 2025(Image credit: Getty Images)
Vollering and Pieterse attack away from the peloton(Image credit: Getty Images)
Reusser chases up the Muur(Image credit: Getty Images)
The peloton during the 2025 Omloop Het Nieuwsblad women(Image credit: Getty Images)
The peloton at the start of OHN Women 2025(Image credit: Getty Images)
The peloton during the OHN Women 2025(Image credit: Getty Images)
Eventual winner Lotte Claes leads the early breakaway(Image credit: Getty Images)
Lotte Claes (Arkea-B&B Hotels) won the women's Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, outsprinting Aurela Nerlo (Winspace Orange Seal) in the streets of Ninove after a day-long breakaway. Over three minutes behind, Demi Vollering (FDJ-Suez) beat Puck Pieterse (Fenix-Deceuninck) in the sprint for third, just ahead of what remained of the peloton.
Claes and Nerlo had been part of a break of five that went away in the first ten kilometres. Julie Stockman (DD Group) was dropped from the break, but Claes, Nerlo, Elena Pirrone (Roland) and Mieke Docx were still more than 13 minutes ahead with 50km to go.
Although the big teams took up the chase eventually, the four riders started the Muur van Geraardsbergen with six minutes in hand. Claes and Nerlo left Pirrone and Docx behind on the cobbled climb, cresting the top 4:37 minutes ahead of Vollering and Pieterse, who had attacked from the peloton.
Still four minutes ahead atop the Bosberg, it was clear that Claes and Nerlo would fight for the victory. Claes tried an attack out of the left turn in Denderwindeke with 4.5km to go, but Nerlo could hold her wheel.
The Polish rider then made her own acceleration just before the flamme rouge and had Claes gapped, but the 31-year-old Belgian made her way back with 250 meters to go and then launched her sprint to win.
"It’s really unbelievable. It’s only my second pro year. Before that, I combined it with working in a hospital as a nurse. So I hope it’s a step towards a bright future," said Claes after taking her first pro victory.
"We were here with ambitions, but since the race usually ends in a sprint, my role was to help our sprinters. But I am very happy that they gave us such a big advantage. After the Berendries, I thought, 'OK, we have to stay together and work together well until the Muur, and from then on, just set a high pace and make a time trial of it.'
"I don’t have fast legs, but after a hard race, I often have something left. The other girl started quite early, which was to her advantage because she is a bit more explosive. She can get going really quickly. I don’t have that explosiveness, and I was hurting everywhere. But then she couldn’t keep it up, and I managed to get back with one big push."
How it unfolded
The break of the day – and, as it turned out, the winning break – had formed very early in the 137.9km race. Valerie Demey (VolkerWessels) and Andrea Casagranda (BePink-Imatra-Bongioanni) went on the chase and were eventually joined by Casagranda’s teammate Beatrice Caudera as well as Giulia Giuliani (Roland).
Halfway through the race, Casagranda had been dropped from the chase group while the other three riders were over four minutes down on Pirrone, Claes, Nerlo, Stockman, and Docx. The peloton was more than nine minutes behind at that point.
With nobody taking responsibility for the chase, the gap ballooned even further, and when the live broadcast began on the cobbles of the Haaghoek with 38km to go, the breakaway of Claes, Nerlo, Pirrone, and Docx was still almost 11 minutes in front.
FDJ-Suez eventually took up the gauntlet and slotted into position at the front of the peloton, with AG Insurance-Soudal, Fenix-Deceuninck, SD Worx-Protime, EF Education-Oatly, and Lidl-Trek also joining in. They caught the chasers and reduced the gap to about six minutes as they entered Geraardsbergen.
Juliette Labous (FDJ-Suez) set a high pace on the Vesten and handed over to Vollering on the steepest part of the Muur. Only Pieterse could follow the Dutchwoman’s acceleration, with other riders following in ones and twos. At the top of the iconic climb, though, Vollering and Pieterse were still 4:37 minutes down on Claes and Nerlo.
Although they caught and dropped Pirrone and Docx in the final, the victory was decided between Claes and Nerlo, with a happy ending for the Belgian. Vollering outsprinted Pieterse for third place, 3:25 minutes behind, with Lorena Wiebes (SD Worx-Protime) leading home the peloton ten seconds later.
Lukas Knöfler started working in cycling communications in 2013 and has seen the inside of the scene from many angles. Having worked as press officer for teams and races and written for several online and print publications, he has been Cyclingnews’ Women’s WorldTour correspondent since 2018.
You must confirm your public display name before commenting
Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.
