Omloop Het Nieuwsblad 2024

The women's peloton kicks off the cobbled Classics with this 130km challenge between Gent and Ninove

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Omloop Het Nieuwsblad

Dates 24 Feb
Race Length 127 kms
Start Gent
Finish Ninove
Race Category Elite Women

Updated: 25 February, 2024

Omloop Het Nieuwsblad: Marianne Vos takes comeback victory in women's race

Marianne Vos (Visma-Lease a Bike) took her first win of the year in a flawless performance, beating world champion Lotte Kopecky (SD Worx-Protime) and a pair of Lidl-Trek riders on a tactical day in Flanders. Elisa Longo Borghini (Lidl-Trek) was third while her teammate Shirin van Anrooij had a strong showing to come across in fourth.

Longo Borghini was the main animator of the day, attacking with over 30km left to race and putting pressure on the race favourites, SD Worx-Protime, to spend some of their resources chasing. The chase, which included the defending Tour de France Femmes champion Demi Vollering, brought Longo Borghini in reach of a Kopecky attack, but the world champion could not shake a strong Van Anrooij and Vos.

The Lidl-Trek duo did their best to break away from the faster-finishing Vos and Kopecky on the run to the line, but their efforts were to no avail. In the end, Vos launched her sprint at the right moment, found the fastest line and had the power to take an emphatic sprint victory to start her Classics campaign.

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Omloop Het Nieuwsblad Women 2024 overview

The women’s Omloop Het Nieuwsblad is the second WorldTour one-day of 2024 for the women’s peloton and the first of the key Belgian Classics. The women’s race takes place on Saturday, 24 February, the same day as the men’s race during Belgium’s Opening Weekend, and is sure to be another thrilling edition of the first big title of the season.

In 2024, the race will also be the first time this season that Lotte Kopecky and Demi Vollering team up together in racing action. The two SD Worx-Protime riders are the biggest names in the women’s peloton and while speculation persists around their future as teammates, Omloop will be the first time we see the combination in racing action as the two stars build to their biggest goals.

Nevertheless, with a course that suits an ambush with the fearsome Muur van Geraardsbergen and Bosberg one-two punch finale, SD Worx-Protime shouldn’t be counting their chickens just yet. With the likes of Elisa Balsamo (Lidl-Trek), Kasia Niewiadoma (Canyon-SRAM) and Marianne Vos (Visma-Lease a Bike) all showing signs of early-season form, the first big race on the women’s calendar seems set to be a battle to set the terms for the rest of the season.

Omloop Het Nieuwsblad 2024 key information

When is the 2024 Omloop Het Nieuwsblad? Omloop Het Nieuwsblad will take place Saturday, 24 February.

Where does the 2024 Omloop Het Nieuwsblad take place? The race will take place in East Flanders, beginning in Gent and winding its way to to the finish in Ninove.

Who won the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad in 2023? Lotte Kopecky won the 2023 edition of the race ahead of Lorena Wiebes and Marta Bastianelli.

When did Omloop Het Nieuwsblad start? The women’s version of the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad began in 2006 and was called Omloop Het Volk until 2009.

Who won the first Omloop Het Nieuwsblad? Suzanne de Goede won the first edition of the race in 2006.

Who has the most wins at the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad? Four women have won the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad twice, the most recent being Annemiek van Vleuten in 2020 and 2022.

Omloop Het Nieuwsblad 2024 route

The Omloop Het Nieuwsblad will return to a familiar course in 2024 with the race once again taking on the tough route from Gent to Ninove. At 127km in total distance, the race tackles many of the most famous climbs and cobbles of the Flanders region with only the Paterberg and Oude Kwaremont left off the menu. Instead, the race will take on the less heralded climbs of the Leburg, Wolvenburg, Molenburg and Bendries before the end game of the Muur van Geraardsbergen and Bosberg.

Compared to many races, the total climbing metres are on the lower end, but the race is sure to be selective. With all the action packed into the tiny roads and sharp turns, the race will stretch and compress like an accordion until it splinters towards the end of the race. Additionally, Omloop Het Nieuwsblad is a race built to come to a crescendo, building the stakes into the final 55km where the main difficulty of the day lies.

Since Omloop has moved its finish to Ninove, the race has seen a mixture of attacking finals and reduced group sprints. A big determinant of the final outcome will be the wind, with the final run to the finish a flat, one-directional run to the east. An attack on the final two climbs can go the distance if there is a tailwind. If it is a headwind, a select sprint finish is more likely.

Which teams are racing the women’s Omloop Het Nieuwsblad 2024?

While the Women’s WorldTour has seen a couple of stops thus far, the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad is the first race of the year that gathers all of the teams in the Women’s WorldTour and their best riders. With that prestige, the full start list of the race will include 26 teams including all 15 WorldTour teams and 11 Continental teams.