The 74th edition of the one-day Belgian event, Omloop Het Nieowsblad, did not disappoint over the cobbles, as Deceuninck-Quickstep rider Zdenek Stybar emerged victorious on an action-packed day of cycling.
Similar to the cobbled classics near the western coast of Europe, Omloop Het Nieowsblad holds few lung-busting climbs, yet more than makes up for this by covering a whopping 200 kilometers over rough ground. In addition to this, the course is filled with many "punchy" climbs, small, steep pitches that riders must push up and regularly disrupt a consistent rhythm. The weather in early March is also notoriously fickle, and cool, windy, rainy days are the norm, not the exception.
This year's edition of Omloop Het Nieowsblad set off in typical fashion, with a large peloton and small leading group. After approximately 150 kilometers, and 50 km remaining, a group of four riders, which included Alex Howes, Tom Devriendt, Roy Jans, and Tom Wirtgen remained.
With 30 kilometers remaining, the chase pack saw a crash, as Lotto Soudal rider Tiejs Benoot unfortunately went down hard on his left side, ending his race and causing a split in the pack.
The chase pack was able to hunt down the lead pack with just under 4 kilometers left until the finish, as Stybar, along with Greg Van Avermaet, a one-day specialist, Alexey Lutsenko, and Tim Wellens fought for position as the final sprint was nearing. Van Avermaet took the lead into the final 2.5 kilometers, as the other riders positioned themselves a few seconds behind. With under 2 kilometers remaining to the finish, Stybar seized his chance and began to make the most of his position. In the end, Zdenek Stybar was able to pull away from his competitors, providing a stronger showing down the stretch, and emerge victorious, nine seconds ahead of the nearest riders. Greg Van Avermaet ultimately took second, with Tim Wellens coming in third, and Alexey Lutsenko in fourth.
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