2024 Omloop Het Nieuwsblad Race Preview
The details of this year's 2024 Omloop Het Nieuwsblad are falling into place. Find the latest route profiles and maps below, followed by our strategic preview of the race.
The 2024 cycling season gets underway in earnest this weekend as the cobbled classics season opens with Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, the traditional curtain-raiser to the Belgian spring campaign. Taking place on Saturday the 24th of February, the race rolls out of Ghent and winds its way through the Flemish Ardennes before finishing in Ninove, covering around 207 kilometres of roads that will almost certainly be battered by the kind of cold, grey, and potentially wet conditions that make this corner of Belgium so brutally unforgiving at this time of year.
The route features the usual collection of short, sharp climbs and stretches of bone-shaking cobblestones that define this region. The Wijnpers, the Leberg, the Berendries, and the mighty Muur van Geraardsbergen all feature, with the Bosberg coming shortly after, ensuring that only the strongest riders will still be in contention heading into the final kilometres. The closing circuit around Ninove then demands sharp tactical awareness as teams jostle for position ahead of what is typically a reduced bunch sprint or a lone attacker holding off the chasers.
Defending champion Wout van Aert returns as one of the headline names, the Jumbo-Visma leader having won here in 2023 in commanding fashion and desperate to kick off his spring campaign on a high note. His great rival Mathieu van der Poel, wearing the rainbow stripes of world champion, will also be present and looking to impose himself early in the season for Alpecin-Deceuninck.
Tadej Pogacar has committed to an ambitious spring programme and cannot be overlooked, while Mads Pedersen has consistently shown an ability to handle these pavé-filled roads in difficult conditions. Tim Merlier, Jasper Philipsen, and other fast finishers will be hoping the race comes back together, though the parcours typically makes that difficult for the pure sprinters to manage.
This race has a habit of producing chaos, punctures, crashes, and unexpected winners, making it one of the most compelling days of the early season calendar.
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