2025 Omloop Het Nieuwsblad Race Preview: The it seems a long time since the season started in Australia, but in reality for many, the cycling year starts this Saturday with the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad. The first Classic battle on Flemish roads of 2025 will see Wout van Aert try to win for the second time, but he will have to fight Jasper Philipsen, Biniam Girmay, Tom Pidcock and Arnaud De Lie. Here is some history, the course and favourites.
2024 Omloop Het Nieuwsblad
The Last 10 Omloop Het Nieuwsblad Winners:
2024: Jan Tratnik (Slo)
2023: Dylan van Baarle (Ned)
2022: Wout van Aert (Bel)
2021: Davide Ballerini (Ita)
2020: Jasper Stuyven (Bel)
2019: Zdeněk Štybar (CZ)
2018: Michael Valgren (Den)
2017: Greg Van Avermaet (Bel)
2016: Greg Van Avermaet (Bel)
2015: Ian Stannard (GB)
2014: Ian Stannard (GB).
Het Volk, Gent-Gent or Het Nieuwsblad
The late and much missed, Ed Hood took a stroll down ‘Memory Lane’ a few years ago for a look at a dozen top editions.
Jean Bogaerts – Two time winner
1945: The very first edition was called the ‘Omloop van Vlaanderen’ but this upset the rival Het Nieuwsblad newspaper because it sounded too much like ‘Ronde van Vlaanderen’ which was their baby; hence it became ‘Het Volk’ with Belgian hard man, Jean Bogaerts taking the first of two wins – he’d win again in 1951.
Albert Sercu in 1947
1947: have you ever wondered why the late, great Patrick Sercu was so fast and versatile? He chose his parents well; with dad Albert winning this edition of Het Volk.
Ernest Sterckx – Triple winner
1956: Ernest Sterckx becomes the first triple winner after wins in ’52 and ’53 – a real Belgian ‘Classicer’ with wins in Flèche Wallonne, Gent-Wevelgem and two wins in Paris-Brussels, which was a huge race back in those days.
Shay Elliott ahead of Anquetil
1959: Shay Elliott of Ireland makes history as the first ‘Anglo’ to win a Classic, it would be 55 years before the feat was repeated by that man, Stannard. And on the subject of Irish hard men, this was a race well suited to the skill set of ‘King Kelly’ but second to Etienne De Wilde in 1989 was as a close as he got – and there were also two third places for him.
Roger’s first win
1969: Roger De Vlaeminck wins, ‘yes, but he won a lot of races,’ I hear you say. This was his FIRST ever professional event – class, he’d win again a decade later in 1979.
Jos Bruyere
1980: Eddy Merck’s right hand man, Jos Bruyere becomes the second rider to, ‘do the triple’ after wins in ’74 and ’75. A giant of a man, hard as nails, oblivious to atrocious weather his palmarès include two Liege-Bastogne-Liege wins and a long spell in the maillot jaune in 1978.
De Fons on De Muur
1982: Englishman Graham Jones was class and it took a man of even greater class, Home Boy, Fons de Wolf to deny Jones the win in this edition. A good year for Anglos, Jones second, Kelly third and the late Paul Sherwen eighth. Jones could have been so much more but in true Gallic style of the time was raced to a frazzle by Peugeot.
The late Gerrie Kneteman and Paul Sherwen in Omloop Het Volk 1983
1988: Rony Van Holen wins and it’s one of the few times in recent history when you might say; ‘who?’ of an Omloop winner. Despite sporting an extravagant mullet, Van Holen was classy; World Junior Road Race Champion in 1977 he won an enormous number of races as an amateur and whilst he perhaps never reached the heights expected as a pro he won the Pino Cerami, Brabantse Pijl, Samyn and the Jef Scherens twice.
Johan Museeuw, Frank Vandenbroucke and three time Het Volk winner Peter van Petegem on the Molenberg
2002: and ‘De Pete’ aka Peter Van Petegem joins ‘Recordmen’ Sterckx and Bruyere on three wins after his ’97 and ’98 wins. A real Flandrian hard man with two Rondes and a Paris-Roubaix among his palmarès. Vik and I were over in Belgium for the National Championships one year and passed the great man in our car whilst he was out on a training run. We rolled down the window and gave him a shout; a nod and a grunt were returned. When we told our Belgian buddies, they reckoned we must have caught him in a chatty mood.
Juan Antonio Flecha 2010
2010: A Spaniard winning a cobbled classic? And one born in Argentina? Juan Antonio Flecha provided the fledgling Team Sky with a huge boost when he won the Omloop and got their season off to a terrific start – however, that was as good as it got for the team that year; before their remorseless ascendancy began.
Ian Stannard in the Omloop 2015
2015: we’d watched Ian Stannard beat GVA to win in 2014 but this year, when he was away in the final with THREE Quick-Steps – Super Stars Tom Boonen and Niki Terpstra plus human freight train, Stijn Vandenbergh, his chances of a repeat win looked slim. ‘Stunned silence’ doesn’t adequately describe the eerie quiet in the bar where we watched the last few kilometres, when Stannard rolled all three of them – remarkable.
Ed Hood will be in Flanders this weekend in spirit
Parcours
After the team presentation in the Kuipke velodrome in Gent and the unofficial start, the real start is in Merelbeke. The peloton will have just under 200 kilometres in front of them. In the first 100 kilometres of the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, the peloton will pass through the Zwalmstreek, Zottegem, Nazareth and Oudenaarde. Only the cobbles of the Paddestraat, Lange Munte and Haaghoek-Leberg are the main obstacles in the first part of the race. After 100 kilometres, the climbs come one after the other. The ‘feed zone’ after 114 kilometres is the start of the part of the Omloop. Roughly every 10 kilometres, the riders will hit a sharp climb. The Haaghoek-Leberg (again) is the first, followed soon after by the Valkenberg.
Omloop Het Nieuwsblad 2025 map
With 55 kilometres to go, the final really begins with the newly redeveloped Eikenberg, 3 kilometres later is the Wolvenberg. That climb, without cobbles, is not too difficult, but right after that there is the cobbles of the Holleweg, the Karel Martelstraat and Jagerij. For a few editions the Molenberg was not on the route, it is now back again. The race should now be ‘full on’.
Omloop Het Nieuwsblad 2025 profile
Next up is the Haaghoek-Leberg-Berendries. At the top of the extremely steep Berendries it is only 28.5 kilometres to the finish in Ninove. A few kilometres later the Vossenhol follows, after which there is an ‘easy’ section. It is not flat in that part, but the Muur van Geraardsbergen is looming. The iconic cobbled climb is 16 kilometres from the finish. If the race has not yet been decided on the Muur, there is still the Bosberg. After the Bosberg it is only 12 kilometres to Ninove. The finish line of Omloop Het Nieuwsblad is not in the Onderwijslaan this year, but like last year in the Elisabethlaan, which is a slightly wider finish, and one that rises slightly towards the line.
Omloop Nieuwsblad 2025 Men: Gent to Ninove
Favourites
There are many different scenarios possible in the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad. Riders can escape on the hills or on the cobbles, and a small group fighting for victory, also can’t be ruled out and even a ‘bunch’ sprint could happen. Remember the edition with a headwind, when Ballerini won? That could happen in Ninove. Anything could happen, so here are the main protagonists for Saturday.
No.1 Wout van Aert?
The biggest name at the start is has to be Wout van Aert, who is opening his Classic campaign in the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad. The Visma | Lease a Bike leader was racing last week in the Clasica Jaen and the Volta ao Algarve, where he had mixed results. In the Spanish one-day race he didn’t feel good, so he rode for his teammates. Then in Portugal he wasn’t great in the sprints he contested. Although, his second place in the final time trial was a good sign. Van Aert has said that his goals are later in the year, and in recent years he has shown that he can work for his Visma | Lease a Bike teammates. The Slovenian Jan Tratnik was able to benefit from that last year. This year, Tiesj Benoot, Matteo Jorgenson, Victor Campenaerts and perhaps also Per Strand Hagenes are the men who are in a position to attack and split the race. You never know how that might work out. The Dutch team will miss Christophe Laporte, who has not been able to train due to illness.
Young Antonio Morgado could be the UAE man to watch
Visma | Lease a Bike has won the last three editions, but they will be up-against a strong UAE Emirates XRG, which will not have Tadej Pogačar, but that gives opportunities for the others in the team. Florian Vermeersch is one of them, but the UAE team also has 21-year-old Antonio Morgado, who has had a great start to his season. He has raced thirteen days already in 2025, and won the Gran Premio Castellón and Figueira Champions Classic. Morgado has learnt a lot since last spring. A fifth place in the Tour of Flanders was a good indications to his class and that he is a Classics-man for the future, but maybe the Omloop can be his first.
Narváez has the TDU win in is belt already
The team also has Jhonatan Narváez, whose move to UAE Emirates XRG has already been a success. The Ecuadorian won the Tour Down Under in January. He is an attacking rider with a fast finish. The Emirates has the power-house of Nils Politt, second last year, and Tim Wellens, who has started his season well. Mikkel Bjerg, Filippo Baroncini and Rune Herregodts will also be in Flanders.
Arnaud De Lie thinks he has a chance in the Omloop
At the Lotto team presentation, Arnaud De Lie said he has made one top Classic his main goal for the spring and the Omloop is the Classic where he thinks he has the greatest chance of winning. The Belgian champion, who had to abandon the Tour of the Algarve on the final day with allergies, said: “It has really become a special race for me. That starts with the atmosphere in the Kuipke and the atmosphere is often very special throughout the race. In the Belgian (champion’s) jersey that will probably be even more fun. In any case, it is a big goal.”
Pidcock has the early season form
For Tom Pidcock, the Omloop is the only cobbled Classic he will ride in this spring, and also his only chance to win in Flanders. The race probably isn’t best suited to the Yorkshireman, but with fifth and eighth places, shows that he can be ‘up there’. Expectations are high at Q36.5, as the Swiss team specifically recruited Pidcock to take them up a step. So far this season Pidcock has looked good, but the AlUla and Andalucia are very different from Flemish roads.
Jasper Philipsen will win the sprint… If he is still there
If the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad finishes in a bunch or group sprint, then Jasper Philipsen is the fastest-finisher, but the man from Limburg is more than just a sprinter. He always performs well in the spring, especially in Paris-Roubaix, but he hasn’t done much on the Flemish hills. In his four previous participations, Philipsen has never finished in the top 30. The Alpecin-Deceuninck sprinter could do something, but an outside bet.
A bunch or group sprint would also suit Biniam Girmay. After he won the green jersey in the 2024 Tour de France, the Intermarché-Wanty leader is expected to take a bigger role in the Classics. “I have simply gained more experience. I know my body better and better and I know what I have to do to be ready for the most important races, how I have to prepare myself,” he said at the team presentation. He also said that bad weather would not be a problem. Girmay wants to win Classics, but his main goal for this spring is Milan-Sanremo.
Paul Magnier – Soudal Quick-Step’s young hope
Soudal Quick-Step used to be the first team to mention in a Flemish Classic preview, but the team doesn’t have that big man for the cobbled races at the moment. Although, Paul Magnier could be their Classics-man of the future. The 20-year-old Frenchman still has a lot to learn, but this could be his big spring. Magnier has a lot of talent with a good sprint in his legs, and his season started well in Bèsseges and the Figueira Champions Classic.
Las year’s winner, Jan Tratnik, will be at the start for Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe
The list of outsiders is large: Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe will have last year’s winner, Jan Tratnik, Oier Lazkano, the Van Dijke brothers and Jordi Meeus. Matej Mohorič and Fred Wright will lead Bahrain Victorious, EF Education EasyPost will have former winner Michael Valgren and Kasper Asgreen and Groupama-FDJ has Stefan Küng.
Jasper Stuyven can show for Lidl-Trek
The other possibles are: Jasper Stuyven for Lidl-Trek in the absence of Jonathan Milan. The British time trialist, Joshua Tarling and Ben Turner will start for INEOS Grenadiers. Ivan Garcia Cortina is the Movistar leader, Oliver Naesen and Pierre Gautherat for Decathlon-AG2R La Mondiale. John Degenkolb leads Picnic PostNL, Alberto Bettiol can perform for XDS Astana and Joe Blackmore could give Israel-Premier Tech a good result. Jonas Abrahamsen and Rasmus Tiller fight for Uno-X Mobility and Matteo Trentin and Rick Pluimers will be the Tudor men to watch.
A second Omloop Het Nieuwsblad for Wout van Aert?
Favourites:
Top: Wout van Aert
Up There: Antonio Morgado and Arnaud De Lie
Possible: Biniam Girmay, Tom Pidcock and Tim Wellens
Maybe: Jasper Philipsen, Jhonatan Narvaez, Paul Magnier and Matteo Jorgenson.
* The final start list could change before Saturday. *
# Stay PEZ for the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad race report on Saturday and all the news, including Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne, in EUROTRASH Monday. #
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