Update
2023-02-25T15:28:31.462Z
Thank you for being with us today. Be sure to tune in again tomorrow for the second part of the opening weekend: Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne.
2023-02-25T15:28:22.105Z
(Credit: Getty Images) 2023-02-25T15:26:45.464Z
Ineos Grenaiders and Soudal-Quick Step managed to get riders in the top six but it’s fair to say they were both completely outclassed by Jumbo-Visma today. There appears to have been a changing of the guard, with the Dutch team now the strongest on the cobbles. And to think that Wout Van Aert didn’t even drive today. They will be hard to stop this spring.
2023-02-25T15:24:52.178Z
1 Dylan van Baarle
2 Arnaud de Lie at 0-20
3 Christopher Laporte
4 Alexander Kristoff
5Tom Pidcock
6Davide Ballerini
7 Nils Politt
8 Andrea Pasqualon
9 Rui Oliveira
September 10 Vanmarcke all st
2023-02-25T15:20:55.999Z
Dylan van Baarle takes solo win at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad
2023-02-25T15:18:42.280Z
This was Van Baarle’s day, ultimately, but Arnaud De Lie certainly lived up to the hype. To still have the legs to sprint for second after having previously pushed so hard for the pursuit and crashing earlier in the day was really impressive from the 20-year-old. It seems Belgium has another star up its sleeve.
2023-02-25T15:16:13.065Z
The race here in Belgium isn’t over for today – don’t forget to follow the women’s Het Nieuwsblad, which is now entering its final 45km
2023-02-25T15:13:05.866Z
(Credit: Getty Images) 2023-02-25T15:12:38.274Z
While De Lie and Laporte were rewarded for their efforts with the podium, Wellens and Mohoric disappeared into the field on the home straight.
2023-02-25T15:09:53.708Z
It was Van Baarle’s first race in Jumbo Visma livery and his first Spring Classic since last year’s career-defining Paris-Roubaix triumph.
2023-02-25T15:05:35.206Z
And Laporte was third, meaning two Jumbo Visma riders will be on the podium – a fitting reward after the blinder they played today
2023-02-25T15:04:45.329Z
De Lie still has enough for second place though
2023-02-25T15:04:25.719Z
And the pursuers should be caught just before the finish line…
2023-02-25T15:04:03.923Z
Dylan van Baarle wins Omloop Het Nieuwsblad!
2023-02-25T15:03:03.565Z
Up to the last kilometer now and he knows he’s won
2023-02-25T15:02:15.610Z
Van Baarle peeks over his shoulder as he passes under the 2km to go banner and he sees daylight – the chasers are still 30 seconds behind him
2023-02-25T15:01:17.460Z
3 KM TO GO
With just 3km to go and Van Baarle is now 30 seconds ahead of the pursuers and 43 seconds ahead of the peloton. It looks like he will…
2023-02-25T15:00:27.234Z
It’s not very windy out there and Van Baarle doesn’t seem to have much trouble maintaining his lead
2023-02-25T14:58:46.910Z
STAY 5KM
Van Baarle is still looking good and his advantage over the pursuers has increased to 25 seconds. But can he hold his own when faced with a headwind?
2023-02-25T14:57:25.121Z
EF EducationEasyPost has four riders in the peloton and has taken the chase
2023-02-25T14:55:54.530Z
With 7 km to go, Van Baarle still has 17 seconds on the pursuers and 40 seconds on the peloton
2023-02-25T14:55:18.663Z
There are still quick finishers in the reduced peloton, including former winner Davide Ballerini and Alexander Kristoff.
2023-02-25T14:53:35.562Z
There are still about 25 riders in the peloton so there are still numbers when they work together. Magnus Sheffield is currently leading, assisting teammate Tom Pidcock
2023-02-25T14:52:25.502Z
10 KM TO GO
Van Baarle’s lead is 17 seconds over the pursuers and 35 seconds over the peloton. It will take an organized chase to bring him back
2023-02-25T14:51:02.211Z
Van Baarle is over the top and still has a 15 second lead and is out of sight. Things are looking good for the Dutchman
2023-02-25T14:49:29.626Z
Now Van Baarle is on the Bosgerg. Can the pursuers catch him?
2023-02-25T14:48:56.340Z
A large group has formed behind the chasing quartet, but seems anything but organized
2023-02-25T14:47:11.043Z
Van Baarle’s lead is still 15 seconds ahead of this quartet. Laporte’s presence will frustrate the other three as he is licensed to sit on it and not do any work
2023-02-25T14:45:57.707Z
15 KM TO GO
Wellens, Mohoric and De Lie have teamed up on the descent – but most notably Van Baarle’s teammate Laporte.
2023-02-25T14:44:30.987Z
Many riders further down the climb have switched back to walking up the climb
2023-02-25T14:44:03.969Z
Van Baarle takes the lead, with Wellens and Mohoric chasing De Lie a few seconds behind
2023-02-25T14:43:10.984Z
Wellens attacks from the peloton on the Muur and takes Mohoric with him. Vermeersch and Milan were caught.
2023-02-25T14:42:04.609Z
Van Baarle drops Le Berre on the climb
2023-02-25T14:41:14.493Z
Bahrain-Victorious do a great job coming in and have closed the gap to 30 seconds as Van Baarle and Le Berre start the climb
2023-02-25T14:39:48.439Z
Milan and Vermeersch are still between the leading duo and the peloton
2023-02-25T14:38:45.613Z
20 KM TO GO
The gap is still 40 seconds. It’s substantial, but could be wiped out in an instant on a climb as tough as the Muur
2023-02-25T14:37:33.007Z
Soudal-QuickStep also has numbers in the front peloton but bids his time and lets Bahrain-Victorious set the pace
2023-02-25T14:36:56.917Z
Jan Tratnik’s wheel had to be changed. But it was a good day for the newcomer from Jumbo-Visma, who was very active at the front
2023-02-25T14:35:10.285Z
Bahrain-Victorious leads the chase in the peloton, with three riders in the lead, but the gap remains constant between 40 and 45 seconds
2023-02-25T14:32:58.698Z
25 KM TO GO
There’s only 25km to go, but there are still two big climbs ahead – the infamous Muur-Kappelmuur, followed by the Bosberg. The advantage of Van Baarle and Le Berre is 45 seconds. It will be an exciting finale.
2023-02-25T14:30:55.078Z
Playing a blinder, Jumbo Visma spread across the street at the front of the peloton, helping to prevent an organized chase and mark attacks.
2023-02-25T14:28:44.730Z
Vermeersch was also dropped up front, meaning only Le Berre remains with Van Baarle.
2023-02-25T14:28:04.499Z
Tim Wellens accelerates onto Elverenberg Vossenhol but is surrounded by yellow Jumbo Visma jerseys, marking the move for Van Baarle. Now Tom Pidcock is trying but meets the same fate of being marked by Jumbo-Visma
2023-02-25T14:26:32.863Z
Van Baarle’s pace was enough to keep the leaders’ lead at around 50 seconds. It was particularly good work from Le Berre to stay with him considering he was on the original break. Milan appear to have been dropped for good
2023-02-25T14:24:54.289Z
Van Baarle sets a fierce pace on the climb and Milan is dropped. Meanwhile, the immortal Greg Van Avermaet is leading the peloton and has brought the chasing group back
2023-02-25T14:23:28.855Z
35 KM TO GO
The leaders are on Berendries, one of the most significant climbs of the race
2023-02-25T14:22:05.981Z
Joining Geniets and Stuyven are four other riders: Jan Tratnik, Rui Oliveira, Brent Van Moer and Nils Eekhoff. They are 45 seconds behind the leaders but just 10 seconds ahead of the peloton
2023-02-25T14:16:52.072Z
Florian Vermeersch, Jonathan Milan and Mathis Le Berre are at Van Baarle. The four work well together and have a lead of around 17 seconds. Jasper Stuyven and Kevin Geniets sit between the leaders and the reduced peloton.
2023-02-25T14:14:02.714Z
38 KM TO GO
Dylan van Baarle attacked from this group, followed by three riders. Behind them, a group of about 40 drivers has reunited
2023-02-25T14:11:27.556Z
The last remaining leading trio were absorbed by this group on the Molenberg and this group has grown in a desperate fight to stay in the race.
2023-02-25T14:09:17.817Z
STAY 40 KM
A strong group starts on the cobblestone ascent to Molenberg. Laporte, Tim Wellens, Tom Pidcock and Stefan Kung are all there and were joined by a resurgent De Lie.
2023-02-25T14:07:39.269Z
Another crash around a corner, this time with Anthony Turgis, one of the most impressive riders of Spring 2021.
2023-02-25T14:06:18.909Z
A little surprising as Peter Sagan falls behind despite the slack in pace. This will of course be the Slovak’s last Omloop Het Nieuwsblad before he retires at the end of the year
2023-02-25T14:04:59.249Z
De Lie is back in the peloton, aided by a slowdown in pace.
2023-02-25T14:02:51.098Z
REMAIN 45 KM
Wallays, Norsgaard and Le Berre are now all that’s left of the breakaway while the others have fallen behind and are drifting towards the peloton. You have 30 seconds left on the Jumbo Visma lead square.
2023-02-25T14:02:01.294Z
More problems for Lotto-Dstny as Jasper De Buyst is involved in a crash. Two other drivers are below and sat on the side of the road.
2023-02-25T13:59:33.993Z
Wheel change for Oliver Naesen. He’ll have to chase back like De Lie, who is still working his way back to the lined-up group.
2023-02-25T13:55:41.715Z
Arnaud De Lie had a problem turning a corner and hitting the deck briefly. He got up immediately and rushes up again, but had to change wheels. The young Belgian is considered a favorite after his electric start to the season.
2023-02-25T13:52:24.951Z
Jan Tratnik and Fred Wright both accelerate on the Wolvenberg, along with Lotto’s Florian Vermeersch. However, they failed to get a gap.
2023-02-25T13:49:56.981Z
REMAIN 55 KM
Jumbo-Visma led the peloton on the cobbles, although Van Baarle is now further behind. The gap to the leaders has shrunk to 45 seconds and the catch is surely imminent.
2023-02-25T13:48:20.235Z
A hot battle for position around the tight right-hand bend that leads into the cobblestone sector of Holleweg. The road narrows significantly and some drivers almost come to a standstill, including Dylan Van Baarle.
2023-02-25T13:46:08.163Z
There are seven more climbs to come, starting with the Wolvenberg next. When will the favorites make their move?
2023-02-25T13:42:47.693Z
REMAIN 60 KM
Many teams rally at the head of the peloton, but it remains clustered with no one team taking control. The distance is now 1-40.
2023-02-25T13:37:35.938Z
Now that this group has been caught, the peloton has calmed down a bit and is bunched up on the Valkenberg. No attacks were attempted and the break lead is still 1-22.
2023-02-25T13:34:42.424Z
REMAIN 65 KM
The peloton is lined up in a long line and has caught up with the six. Expect some action from the Valkenberg, who are now tackling the break.
2023-02-25T13:28:15.490Z
REMAIN 70 KM
The peloton is now just 20 seconds from half a dozen pursuers, with Soudal-QuickStep setting the pace.
2023-02-25T13:26:52.742Z
During a fall in the peloton, Tim “the tractor” Declercq crashed onto the deck around a tight corner. It also took a while for him to get back up. That’s a huge blow to Soudal-QuickStep, who so often rely on the Belgian to control the pace in the peloton.
2023-02-25T13:24:01.719Z
The climbs are getting tight and fast now as the leaders start hostellerie. However, riders still look pretty cold with arm warmers worn by many.
2023-02-25T13:20:51.951Z
The peloton is flying on now. They’ve reduced their gap to the Tratnik group to 1 minute and two minutes to the leaders, and there were more splits further down the field.
2023-02-25T13:15:14.528Z
The peloton pushes back as Lotto-Dstny pushes the pace on the current cobblestone sector.
2023-02-25T13:13:15.348Z
REMAIN 80 KM
The gap between the leading seven and the chasing six is now 2-30 and four minutes between the leaders and the peloton
2023-02-25T13:05:46.834Z
All of this action has resulted in the lead group shrinking to less than three minutes over the chasing group and about four minutes over the peloton.
2023-02-25T13:02:22.717Z
REMAIN 90 KM
Six of those drivers have now broken away from the rest: Van Hooydonck, Tratnik, Wright, Haller, O’Brien and Swift. It seems the bigger names feel this is too early with 90km to go.
2023-02-25T13:00:29.836Z
Along with the 6 Jumbo Visma riders (Laporte, Van Baarle, Benoot, Van Hooydonck and Van Dijke) are 8 others: Fred Wright, Arnaud De Lie, Pascal Ackermann, Marco Haller, Magnus Sheffield, Daan Hoole, Kelland O’Brien and Connor Swift.
2023-02-25T12:55:36.537Z
Jumbo-Visma may be missing their leading man, Wout Van Aert, but as evidenced by the names that are currently popping up, there is an impressive Classics line-up, further bolstered by the signing of Paris-Roubaix winner Van Baarle for this season.
2023-02-25T12:51:54.886Z
Jumbo-Visma’s pace has caused a split in the field, with their leaders Tiesj Benoot, Christophe Laporte and Dylan van Baarle all leading. The likes of Arnaud De Lie and Magnus Sheffield are also in attendance.
2023-02-25T12:48:31.157Z
The race is now on as Jumbo-Visma has upped the pace in the peloton.
2023-02-25T12:39:26.322Z
Meanwhile, over in the Middle East, Stage 6 of the UAE Tour has just wrapped up. Find out who won here
2023-02-25T12:35:12.271Z
The peloton is now on the cobblestones of Lange Munte, still over seven minutes behind the leaders.
2023-02-25T12:23:37.045Z
117KM REMAINING
We are now almost halfway through the race and the top seven are about to hit the cobbles at Lange Munte.
2023-02-25T12:15:53.058Z
However, it’s really impossible to win with a move like Chris Juul-Jensen attempted. And he seems to have realized that now and has been reinstated by the peloton.
2023-02-25T12:13:26.167Z
Victory for one of the riders in the early break might seem a long way off, but it’s worth considering Jelle Wallays’ career. A trademark of successful long-distance attacks, he won the 2014 Paris-Tours with the first breakaway of the day and similarly won a stage of the 2018 Vuelta a Espana.
2023-02-25T12:05:56.286Z
A reminder of the seven leading riders approaching the cobblestone sector of Lange Munte: Jelle Wallays (Cofidis), Mathias Norsgaard (Movistar), Louis Blouwe (Bingoal WB), Adam de Vos (Human Powered Health), Mathis Le Berre (Arkéa Samsic ), Alex Colman and Gilles De Wilde (both Team Flanders-Baloise)
2023-02-25T12:03:57.633Z
125KM REMAINING
Team Jayco AlUla’s Chris Juul-Jensen jumped out of the peloton and is now a minute ahead. It’s unclear what his plan is though – he still has over four minutes to catch up from the break.
2023-02-25T12:03:24.871Z
The women’s Omloop Het Nieuwsblad is also scheduled to start shortly. Here’s our rundown of the riders to watch
2023-02-25T11:45:29.265Z
Interestingly, for this year’s edition, the finish has moved to the Elisabethlaan. A sluggish, uphill finish, it would change the complexion of a sprint finish should the race end that way – which is certainly a possibility given the likelihood of all attackers facing a headwind in the final.
2023-02-25T11:39:30.588Z
REMAIN 145 KM
As the riders make their way to the next cobblestone sector, which is another 30km away, why not take a look at some of our features at this year’s Het Nieuwsblad?
Here we look at the pros and cons of getting in shape early for this race for riders aiming for the monumental cobblestone classics in the spring. As is well known, the rider who wins Het Nieuwsblad never seems to win the Tour of Flanders in the same season.
2023-02-25T11:27:09.044Z
The weather may not be quite as accommodating as it seemed at the start of the day. There are wisps of dark cloud in the sky, the wind has picked up and most drivers are wearing arm and leg warmers.
2023-02-25T11:16:39.975Z
It appears these riders were involved in a crash – an occupational hazard of the Spring Classics, even in mild weather like today.
2023-02-25T11:11:50.705Z
There have already been a few departures: Michael Schär (AG2R Citroën), Patrick Bevin (DSM) and Ben Turner (Ineos Grenadiers). It’s a shame for the young Brit who was an outsider to win today after his breakthrough in spring last year and has recently shown promising form to start the season.
2023-02-25T11:09:19.223Z
The leaders are now climbing the 1 km long Leberg for the first time
2023-02-25T10:57:42.853Z
175km
The peloton is still taking it easy for the time being. The advantage of the break has grown to around six minutes.
2023-02-25T10:55:44.114Z
Two riders who certainly won’t win today are Australia’s Luke Durbdirdge (Jayco-AlUla) and Tom Scully (EF Education-EasyPost). Both failed after an illness at the start.
2023-02-25T10:54:16.193Z
So who will win today? Wout van Aert triumphed at the canter twelve months ago, but he is not riding today, and neither is his opponent Mathieu van der Poel. In their absence, the race looks very open – read here who to watch out for.
2023-02-25T10:42:21.215Z
… and here are all the paved sectors:
Haguek (36.2 km)
Long Munte (93.2km)
Holleweg (109.5 km)
Haaghoek (115.2 km)
Padde Street (124.4 km)
Holleweg (151.1 km)
Kerkgate (157.3 km)
Jägerij (159.9km)
Haguek (170.6 km)
2023-02-25T10:41:37.586Z
Here’s a full list of the day’s climbs…
Leberg (39.2km)
Kattenberg (108.7km)
Leberg (118.3 km)
Hostel (135.3 km)
Valkenberg (143.2 km)
Wolvenberg (153.7 km)
Molenberg (166.1km)
Leberg (173.6 km)
Berendries (177.7 km)
Elverenberg Vossenhol (180.1 km)
Muur-Kappelmuur (191.6 km)
Bosberg (195.5km)
2023-02-25T10:38:36.396Z
It won’t be long before we reach our first cobblestone sector of the day: Haaghoek, which will be tackled for 36.2km in the stage. Shortly thereafter follows the first climb of the day, the Leberg, before there is a longer break until the next one.
2023-02-25T10:34:00.891Z
Here’s the seven-man break in full:
Jelle Wallays (Cofidis), Mathias Norsgaard (Movistar), Louis Blouwe (Bingoal WB), Adam de Vos (Human Powered Health), Mathis Le Berre (Arkéa Samsic), Alex Colman and Gilles De Wilde (both Team Flanders-Baloise)
2023-02-25T10:29:53.926Z
193 km to go
The peloton seems happy with the break and have already gained more than two minutes
2023-02-25T10:25:14.476Z
A group of seven has broken out of the peloton, including former Paris Tours and Dwars Door Vlaanderen winner Jelle Wallays
2023-02-25T10:20:12.848Z
An all-important question for every Het Nieuwsblad is: how is the weather? What, with its February window, has historically been impacted by all manner of weather conditions, from torrential downpours to freezing snow, but this year’s edition looks mild, with riders enjoying blue skies and a reasonable, if albeit temperature.
2023-02-25T10:16:59.750Z
And here we go – the spring classics have officially begun!
2023-02-25T09:55:23.673Z
Hello and welcome to Cyclingnews’ live coverage of Omloop Het Nieuwsblad 2023.
Whether you’re the kind of fan who believes the road season is really starting now, or have followed the races religiously at the early events that have been taking place around the world over the past few months, we’re all sure of one thing to the point: that Omloop Het Nieuwsblad is always one of the most exciting races of spring.