Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, previously Omloop Het Volk, is a one-day road cycling race in Belgium, held annually in late February.[1] It is the opening event of the Belgian cycling season, as well as the first race of the year in Northwestern Europe, and holds significant prestige because of it.[2] Since 2017, the race is part of the UCI World Tour, cycling's top-tier professional events.[3][4]
The race starts in Ghent, Flanders and finishes in Ninove, Flanders.[5] The race route covers the hills in the Flemish Ardennes, marking the start of the cobbled classics season in Europe. Due to its early calendar date, it is characterized by often cold weather, coming as a contrast to the early-season stage races in the Middle East and Southern Europe.[6] The day after the Omloop, Kuurne–Brussels–Kuurne completes the opening weekend.
Since 2006, a women's edition of Omloop Het Nieuwsblad is held on the same day as the men's race, also starting in Ghent and finishing in Ninove, approximately 130 kilometres in distance. Both events are organized by Flanders Classics.[7]
First held in 1945, the race was called Omloop van Vlaanderen ("Circuit of Flanders"). The event was initiated by Flemish newspaper Het Volk, in response to rivaling newspaper Het Nieuwsblad's classic, the Tour of Flanders. Het Volk, of left-leaning publication, wanted to start a new cycling event in Flanders as a rival race to what it saw as the Tour of Flanders' closeness to the Nazis during World War II.[lower-alpha 1][11] The Ronde's organizers protested that the name was too close to their own – there is little semantic difference between "Ronde" and "Omloop". The Belgian cycling federation demanded Het Volk to change the name of the event, prompting Het Volk to serve as title sponsor of their own race.[12][13] In 2009 the former rival newspapers Het Volk and Het Nieuwsblad merged, causing the event to be renamed Omloop Het Nieuwsblad for its 64th edition.[lower-alpha 2][14] Until 2016, Omloop Het Nieuwsblad was ranked as a 1.HC event of the UCI Europe Tour; since 2017, it is included in the UCI World Tour.[3]
Winter race
Due to its early-season calendar date, the race has occasionally been affected by cold and wintry conditions.[6] Three editions of the event were cancelled. The 1971 race was postponed due to snow and run three weeks later. In 1986 and 2004 organizers were forced to cancel the race, as snow and freezing temperatures had made the route too dangerous and riders' safety could not be guaranteed.[15][16][17] In modern times, organizers rely heavily on weather forecasts and adjust the course if some sectors are deemed unsafe. Unrelated to the weather, the 1960 race was cancelled following a disagreement between the organizers and cycling's ruling body UCI.[lower-alpha 3]
Belgian opening race
Traditionally the opening event of the Belgian cycling season, the race holds particular importance for Belgian cyclists. Throughout its history, Belgian riders, comfortable with cold weather and aided by large, supportive crowds, have dominated the race. Belgians have won 56 editions, although, exemplary for the growing international status of the race, they have only won four of the last ten editions. In 1948 Italian cycling icon Fausto Coppi won the race, but was disqualified for receiving an illegal wheel-change.[lower-alpha 4]
Omloop Het Nieuwsblad starts in Ghent, East Flanders, and addresses the Flemish Ardennes in the south of the province, featuring numerous short climbs, before returning to Ghent.[18] From 1996 until 2007 the finish was in Lokeren, 20km east of Ghent.
At 200 kilometres and with 13 climbs in the hill zone, the course is challenging and arduous. Additionally, there are several flat stretches of cobbles.[6] Despite annual changes, some of the regular climbs in the Omloop are the Leberg, Berendries, Taaienberg, Muur van Geraardsbergen, Eikenberg and Molenberg. Due to its hilly course in the Flemish Ardennes, the race is similar in nature to the Tour of Flanders, and is often used in preparation for the bigger event five weeks later. The 2016 race featured one new climb, Boembekeberg, as a replacement for the Molenberg, which was skipped because of road works.[18] This was reversed for the 2017 race.
Both the official start and finish are traditionally on Ghent's largest square, Sint-Pietersplein. Every seven years however, when Easter comes early in the year, the square is booked for the annual Mid-Lent fair and organizers need to find different locations. In 2016 and 2017, the Citadel city park, next to the Kuipke velodrome, served as start location. The finish was on the Emile Clauslaan thoroughfare, near the starting place.[19]
Since 2006 there is a women's version of the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad. Held on the same day as the men's event, it uses much of the same roads and equally opens the women's cycling season in Northern Europe. In recent editions the route is 122km, featuring eight climbs and six sections of cobbles.[21] The race became part of the UCI Women's WorldTour in 2023. As of 2022[update], Dutch riders Suzanne de Goede, Anna van der Breggen and Annemiek van Vleuten and Sweden's Emma Johansson have won the race twice.
An edition of the race for under-23 men has been held since 1950.
Notes
↑ The Tour of Flanders is the only cycling classic in Europe that was organized on German-occupied territory during the Second World War and in full agreement with the German command.[8] The Germans not only allowed and enjoyed the race but helped police the route as well.[9] This led to accusations of collaboration with Nazi Germany.[10]
↑ Het Nieuwsblad, as the bigger newspaper, became the name-bearer of the merge.
↑ UCI had given better calendar dates to other Belgian races, prompting Het Volk to call off the race in protest.
↑ Belgian Walschott had given Coppi his wheel, but rules allowed assistance only from team-mates
References and footnotes
European Cycling – The 20 Greatest Races by Noel Henderson (1989) ISBN0-941950-20-4.
The Tour of Flanders, also known as De Ronde, is an annual road cycling race held in Belgium every spring. The most important cycling race in Flanders, it is part of the UCI World Tour and organized by Flanders Classics. Its nickname is Vlaanderens Mooiste. First held in 1913, the Tour of Flanders had its 100th edition in 2016.
Johan Museeuw is a retired Belgian professional road racing cyclist who was a professional from 1988 until 2004. Nicknamed The Lion of Flanders, he was particularly successful in the cobbled classics of Flanders and Northern France and was considered one of the best classic races specialists of the 1990s.
Gent–Wevelgem, officially Gent–Wevelgem – In Flanders Fields, is a road cycling race in Belgium, held annually since 1934. It is one of the classic races part of the Flemish Cycling Week, run in late March on the last Sunday before the Tour of Flanders.
Kuurne–Brussels–Kuurne is an annual single-day road cycling race in Belgium. It is held one day after Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, on the last Sunday of February or the first of March, and completes the opening weekend of the Belgian cycling season. It was ranked a 1.HC event of the UCI Europe Tour before joining the UCI ProSeries in 2020. Tom Boonen holds the most wins with three victories.
Greg Van Avermaet is a retired Belgian professional cyclist. Considered one of the most versatile riders of modern cycling, Van Avermaet was a specialist of the classic cycle races, but has also won stages and the general classification in stage races, particularly when run on a hilly terrain, such as the 2016 Tirreno–Adriatico, and the 2018 Tour de Yorkshire. His strong sprint finish enabled him to win sprints of small lead groups, but he has also won races after solo breakaways.
Dwars door Vlaanderen(English: Across Flanders) is a semi-classic road bicycle race in Belgium, held annually since 1945. The race starts in Roeselare and finishes in Waregem, both in West Flanders. Since 2017 the event is included in the UCI World Tour.
The Tour of Flanders, formerly the Tour of Flanders for Women, is an annual road bicycle racing event in Flanders, Belgium, held in early April. It is held on the same day as the men's race, on much of the same roads but at a shorter distance. Dutch riders Mirjam Melchers, Annemiek van Vleuten, Belgian Lotte Kopecky and German Judith Arndt hold the record with two wins each. Elisa Longo Borghini won the most recent edition in 2024.
Niki Terpstra is a Dutch former racing cyclist, who rode professionally between 2003 and 2022 for six different teams. He is the brother of fellow racing cyclist Mike Terpstra. He is the third Dutch cyclist to have won both of the cobbled Monument spring classics, Paris–Roubaix and the Tour of Flanders, after Jan Raas and Hennie Kuiper.
The cobbled classics are four cycling classics held in March and April. Cobblestones, like mountainous terrain, are important elements in courses of cycling. Many classic cycle races in northwestern Europe contain cobbled sections. The two Monuments of this race type are the Tour of Flanders and Paris–Roubaix, with over 20 cobbled sectors.
Sep Vanmarcke is a Belgian former professional road racing cyclist, who rode professionally between 2008 and 2023 for Jong Vlaanderen–Bauknecht, Topsport Vlaanderen–Mercator, LottoNL–Jumbo, EF Pro Cycling, and Israel–Premier Tech, before being forced to retire from the sport for medical reasons. During his professional career, Vanmarcke took nine victories, including the 2012 Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, the 2019 Bretagne Classic Ouest-France and the 2022 Maryland Cycling Classic one-day races.
The 2011 Omloop Het Nieuwsblad took place on 26 February 2011. It was the 66th edition of the international classic Omloop Het Nieuwsblad. This year's Omloop started and ended at St. Peter's Square in Ghent, Belgium and spanned 203 kilometers in the province of East Flanders. The race was the first 1.HC event in the 2011 UCI World Ranking.
The 2012 Omloop Het Nieuwsblad took place on 25 February 2012. It was the 67th edition of the international classic Omloop Het Nieuwsblad. This year's Omloop started and ended at St. Peter's Square in Ghent, Belgium and spanned 200 km (124.3 mi) in the province of East Flanders. The race was the first 1.HC event in the 2012 UCI Europe Tour.
The 2015 Omloop Het Nieuwsblad was the 70th edition of the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad road cycling race, traditionally seen as the beginning of the cobbled classics season along with the Kuurne–Brussels–Kuurne the following day. It was rated as a 1.HC race as part of the 2015 UCI Europe Tour. The race took place on 28 February 2015, starting and finishing in the city of Ghent.
The 69th running of the Tour of Flanders cycling race took place on 7 April 1985. It was won by Belgian Eric Vanderaerden in an average speed of 39,605 km/h. The race was affected by abysmal weather, when a storm accompanied by wind and torrential rainfall, broke in the afternoon. Only 24 of 173 participants arrived.
The Molenberg is a hill in the municipality of Zwalm, in the Belgian province of East Flanders, with its top at 56 m. It is one of the many hills in the Zwalm region, just north of the Flemish Ardennes. The road of the Molenberg has a roughly-paved cobbled surface, which is classified and protected as a landscape monument. At the foot of the hill there is a 13th-century water mill, the Moldergemmolen, from which the hill takes its name.
The 71st edition of the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad was held on 27 February 2016. It was won by Belgian Greg Van Avermaet in a five-man sprint before Peter Sagan and Tiesj Benoot.
The 11th running of the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad women's race in Belgium was held on 27 February 2016 and is widely regarded as the start of the Classics season. The race was won by the ruling world champion, Britain's Lizzie Armitstead, after a solo breakaway. Chantal Blaak won the sprint for second place ahead of Tiffany Cromwell. Armitstead’s win marks the first time a world champion has graced the top step of the podium at the Belgian Semi-Classic. The Omloop started and finished in Ghent, addressing several climbs in the Flemish Ardennes and covering 124 km (77.1 mi).
The 2017 Omloop Het Nieuwsblad was a road cycling one-day race that took place on 25 February 2017. It was the 72nd edition of the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and was the fourth event of the 2017 UCI World Tour. It was the first time that the race was included in the UCI World Tour calendar.
The 2017 Tour of Flanders for Women was the 14th running of the Tour of Flanders for Women, a women's bicycle race in Belgium. It was held on 2 April 2017, as the fifth race of the 2017 UCI Women's World Tour season over a distance of 153.2 kilometres.
The 2024 Omloop Het Nieuwsblad was a road cycling one-day race that took place on 24 February 2024 in Belgium, starting in Gent and finishing in Ninove. It was the 79th edition of the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and the fourth event of the 2024 UCI World Tour. Jan Tratnik won the race from a two-man breakaway alongside Nils Politt. Tratnik's teammate Wout van Aert won the sprint for third from the chase group consisting of 32 riders.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
Jean Bogaerts (BEL)
Jan Tratnik (SVN)
Suzanne de Goede (NED)
Emma Johansson (SWE)
