Omloop Het Nieuwsblad 2021 [FULL RACE]

February 27, 2021

Omloop Het Nieuwsblad 2021 – Ghent – Ninove : 200,5 km

For many cycling fans, Omloop Het Nieuwsblad marks the start of the road racing season, a sign that winter is finally coming to an end and spring – and all the wonderful, two-wheeled things that the months of March, April and May entail – is just around the corner. This year’s edition will do all of that and more. As well as marking the transition between seasons, Saturday’s race will also offer us a taster of what’s to come in 2021 now that the calendar is slowly, but surely, returning to normality… With its all-star cast, bone-rattling sectors of cobblestones and – of course – its iconic Flandrian climbs, there isn’t a better race on the calendar to kickstart the road racing season than Omloop Het Nieuwsblad. For this year’s edition the race’s organisers – Flanders Classics – have decided to keep the route under wraps and not reveal any specific details. That said, several Belgian media outlets have reported that the riders will be faced with a very similar route to the one that they tackled last year, which includes 13 climbs and 9 cobblestone sectors, spread over the course of a 200km-long route from Gent to Ninove.

Davide Ballerini (Deceuninck-QuickStep) won Omloop Het Nieuwsblad ahead of Jake Stewart (Groupama-FDJ) and Sep Vanmarcke (Israel Start-Up Nation) in a bunch sprint.

Unusually for Het Niuwsblad, the race came down to a bunch sprint, despite the usual attacks and drama throughout the race.

A dangerous group had broken clear earlier in the race including Julian Alaphilippe (Deceuninck-QuickStep), Greg Van Avermaet (Ag2r Citroen), Sep Vanmarcke (Israel Start-Up Nation) and Tom Pidcock (Ineos Grenadiers), but everything came back together again before the climb of the Muur.

Apart from an attack from Gianni Moscon (Ineos Grenadiers) over that climb, no other riders managed to break clear after that point, leading to the novel experience of a large bunch sprint deciding Het Nieuwsblad.

Ballerini had also been a part of the group that broke clear earlier, but still had enough left in the tank to comfortably win the sprint at the finish.

“It’s one dream come true”, said the Italian at the finish. “This is the start of the classics, a really big classic. I love it, I like it, I love this team. It was a dream since I was a baby when I saw this race on TV.”

“I’m really happy for the team…I know it’s not easy for everybody, with the Covid situation. I say congratulations to the organisation for this beautiful race, and to keep going like this.”

How it unfolded

As well as being the first cobbled classics of the season, Omloop Het Nieuwsblad marks, for many cycling fans, the proper start of the season — and this was a typically exciting edition of a race that always brings thrills, spill and action.

As is so often the case in this race, the weather was cold, with the riders having to wrap up warm, although the wind was relatively gentle, and they were spared any rainfall.

Yevgeniy Federov (Astana Premier-Tech), Ryan Gibbons (UAE Team Emirates), Kenny De Ketele (Sport Vlaanderen-Baloise), Bert De Backer (B&B Hotels p/b KTM) and Matis Louvel (Arkea Samsic) formed a breakaway group of five at the start of the day, and opened up a lead that gained a maximum advantage of over eight minutes.

However, on what was a very fast day where the riders did not hang about, that gap quickly began tumbling down. At 80km to go it was at four minutes, and at 65km to go it had dipped to little over two minutes.

Inevitably, there were crashes, and major contenders Greg Van Avermaet and Sep Vanmarcke — both riding their first cobbled classic for their new teams — both involved in one incident early on. Later, at 53km, several riders hit the deck together, including Sonny Colbrelli (Bahrain-Victorious).

Aside from Jonas Rutsch (EF Education-Nippo) — who escaped up the rode alone 67km from the finish in pursuit of the break — there were no attacks out of the peloton, as the favourites kept their power dry ahead of the dense flurry of late cobbled climbs.

On the first of these, the Wolvenberg, Yves Lampaert (Deceuninck-QuickStep) set a fierce pace, with teammate Julian Alaphilippe on his wheel, but fell going around a corner on the next cobbled section. His upping of the pace did bring back Rutsch, however, and caused the gap to the main breakaway to decrease to below one minute for the first time.

The first significant attacks came on the next climb, the Molenberg, courtesy of Matteo Trentin (UAE Team Emirates). His acceleration caused a small group of favourites to go clear, including Van Avermaet, Vanmarcke, Chirstophe Laporte (Cofidis), Arjen Livyns (Bingoal-Wallonie Bruxelles), Michael Gogl (Qhubeka Assos), plus the Deceuninck-QuickStep trio of Alaphilippe, Zdenek Stybar and Davide Ballerini.

They soon caught the day’s break, as well as the duo of Olav Kooij (Jumbo-Visma) and Johan Jacobs (Movistar) who had attacked the peloton earlier, forming a new leading group of around a dozen riders, who were also joined by Tom Pidcock (Ines Grenadiers) and Luxembourg champion Kevin Geniets (Groupama-FDJ) after they accelerated out of the peloton with an impressive burst of speed.

Alaphilippe attacked on the next climb, Berendries, and opened up a significant gap over the others of over 20 seconds. Despite committed efforts from the others, most notably from a very strong looking Pidcock, Alaphilippe had the advantage of two Deceuninck-QuickStep teammates to disrupt the chase — that is, until Stybar crashed at 27km from the finish.

Behind, the peloton had got organised with teams that had missed the move, like Lotto-Soudal and Trek-Segafredo, setting a strong pace.

A pursuit between Alaphilippe and the chasers and the chasers and the peloton followed, and all three came back together just in time for the crucial climb of the Muur, with 18km left to ride.

Gianni Moscon set the pace on the Muur, and reached the top with a small gap over the rest of the strung out peloton. Despite having no company to share the workload with, the Italian retained his lead after the Muur and on the approach to the day’s final climb, the Bosberg.

He began to tire on the climb itself, however, and was caught over the summit by a peloton that, unusually for this race, still remained together in a very large size.

Deceuninck-QuickStep took control of the peloton, with Kasper Asgreen, Alaphilippe and Lampaert setting a fast pace at the front to set Ballerini up for a sprint. Their pace was enough to deter any attacks, as the other teams also gambled on waiting for the bunch sprint.

A few riders went down in a crash with just 2500 metres left to ride, including Ethan Hayter (Ineos Grenadiers), while Alexander Kristoff (UAE Emirates) — who will have fancied his chances of winning the sprint — suffered a mechanical.

Other teams attempted to wrestle control from Deceuninck-QuickStep as the finishing straight approached, but the Belgian team reasserted themselves around the final few corners, and set up Ballerini perfectly for a victory of several bike-lengths.

Results :
1 Davide Ballerini (Ita) Deceuninck-QuickStep 4:43:03
2 Jake Stewart (GBr) Groupama-FDJ
3 Sep Vanmarcke (Bel) Israel Start-up Nation
4 Heinrich Haussler (Aus) Bahrain Victorious
5 Philippe Gilbert (Bel) Lotto Soudal
6 Alex Aranburu Deba (Spa) Astana-Premier Tech
7 Florian Senechal (Fra) Deceuninck-QuickStep
8 Matteo Trentin (Ita) UAE Team Emirates
9 Kévin Geniets (Lux) Groupama-FDJ
10 Nils Politt (Ger) Bora-Hansgrohe
11 Ivan Garcia Cortina (Spa) Movistar Team
12 Amaury Capiot (Bel) Team Arkea-Samsic
13 Christophe Laporte (Fra) Cofidis
14 Silvan Dillier (Swi) Alpecin-Fenix
15 Anthony Turgis (Fra) Total Direct Energie
16 Bryan Coquard (Fra) B&B Hotels p/b KTM
17 Cedric Beullens (Bel) Sport Vlaanderen-Baloise
18 Tom Van Asbroeck (Bel) Israel Start-up Nation
19 Oliver Naesen (Bel) AG2R Citroën Team
20 Dries De Bondt (Bel) Alpecin-Fenix
21 Gonzalo Serrano Rodriguez (Spa) Movistar Team
22 Owain Doull (GBr) Ineos Grenadiers
23 Søren Kragh Andersen (Den) Team DSM
24 Tim Wellens (Bel) Lotto Soudal
25 Jordi Warlop (Bel) Sport Vlaanderen-Baloise
26 Lawrence Naesen (Bel) AG2R Citroën Team
27 Marco Haller (Aut) Bahrain Victorious
28 Aime De Gendt (Bel) Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert Matériaux
29 Tiesj Benoot (Bel) Team DSM
30 Dimitri Claeys (Bel) Team Qhubeka Assos
31 Cyril Barthe (Fra) B&B Hotels p/b KTM
32 Lukasz Wisniowski (Pol) Team Qhubeka Assos
33 Greg Van Avermaet (Bel) AG2R Citroën Team
34 Damien Touze (Fra) AG2R Citroën Team
35 Jonas Rutsch (Ger) EF Education-Nippo
36 Amund Grøndahl Jansen (Nor) Team BikeExchange
37 Michael Gogl (Aut) Team Qhubeka Assos
38 Stefan Küng (Swi) Groupama-FDJ
39 Jhonatan Narvaez Prado (Ecu) Ineos Grenadiers
40 Dylan Teuns (Bel) Bahrain Victorious
41 Timo Roosen (Ned) Jumbo-Visma
42 Gorka Izagirre Insausti (Spa) Astana-Premier Tech
43 Arjen Livyns (Bel) Bingoal WB
44 Luke Durbridge (Aus) Team BikeExchange
45 Gianni Moscon (Ita) Ineos Grenadiers
46 Nathan Van Hooydonck (Bel) Jumbo-Visma 0:00:07
47 Sven Erik Bystrøm (Nor) UAE Team Emirates
48 Victor Campenaerts (Bel) Team Qhubeka Assos
49 Kasper Asgreen (Den) Deceuninck-QuickStep 0:00:15
50 Joel Suter (Swi) Bingoal WB 0:00:17
51 Pascal Eenkhoorn (Ned) Jumbo-Visma
52 Loïc Vliegen (Bel) Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert Matériaux
53 Johan Jacobs (Swi) Movistar Team 0:00:22
54 Piet Allegaert (Bel) Cofidis
55 Thomas Pidcock (GBr) Ineos Grenadiers
56 Yves Lampaert (Bel) Deceuninck-QuickStep 0:00:40
57 Julian Alaphilippe (Fra) Deceuninck-QuickStep
58 Alexander Kristoff (Nor) UAE Team Emirates 0:01:33
59 Lukas Pöstlberger (Aut) Bora-Hansgrohe 0:02:44
60 Marco Marcato (Ita) UAE Team Emirates
61 Miles Scotson (Aus) Groupama-FDJ
62 Romain Bardet (Fra) Team DSM
63 Alex Kirsch (Lux) Trek-Segafredo
64 Andrea Pasqualon (Ita) Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert Matériaux 0:02:45
65 Jonas Koch (Ger) Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert Matériaux 0:03:00
66 Ethan Hayter (GBr) Ineos Grenadiers 0:03:07
67 Kenneth Van Rooy (Bel) Sport Vlaanderen-Baloise
68 Xandro Meurisse (Bel) Alpecin-Fenix
69 Niki Terpstra (Ned) Total Direct Energie
70 Oscar Riesebeek (Ned) Alpecin-Fenix
71 Stefano Oldani (Ita) Lotto Soudal
72 Milan Menten (Bel) Bingoal WB
73 Mads Würtz Schmidt (Den) Israel Start-up Nation
74 Frederik Backaert (Bel) B&B Hotels p/b KTM
75 Carlos Barbero (Spa) Team Qhubeka Assos
76 Juri Hollmann (Ger) Movistar Team
77 André Carvalho (Por) Cofidis
78 Joris Nieuwenhuis (Ned) Team DSM
79 Andreas Kron (Den) Lotto Soudal
80 Tobias Ludvigsson (Swe) Groupama-FDJ
81 Sebastian Langeveld (Ned) EF Education-Nippo
82 Jean-Pierre Drucker (Lux) Cofidis
83 Jasper Stuyven (Bel) Trek-Segafredo
84 Dion Smith (NZl) Team BikeExchange
85 Thimo Willems (Bel) Sport Vlaanderen-Baloise 0:04:26
86 Edward Theuns (Bel) Trek-Segafredo
87 Tom Wirtgen (Lux) Bingoal WB
88 Tom Bohli (Swi) Cofidis
89 Olav Kooij (Ned) Jumbo-Visma
90 Dries Van Gestel (Bel) Total Direct Energie
91 Ryan Mullen (Irl) Trek-Segafredo
92 Maarten Wynants (Bel) Jumbo-Visma
93 Senne Leysen (Bel) Alpecin-Fenix
94 Mathias Norsgaard (Den) Movistar Team
95 Benjamin Declercq (Bel) Team Arkea-Samsic
96 Taco van der Hoorn (Ned) Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert Matériaux
97 Daniel McLay (GBr) Team Arkea-Samsic
98 Edvald Boasson Hagen (Nor) Total Direct Energie
99 Benjamin Perry (Can) Astana-Premier Tech
100 Christophe Noppe (Bel) Team Arkea-Samsic
101 Robert Stannard (Aus) Team BikeExchange
102 Aaron Van Poucke (Bel) Sport Vlaanderen-Baloise
103 Antoine Duchesne (Can) Groupama-FDJ
104 Jens Keukeleire (Bel) EF Education-Nippo
105 Connor Swift (GBr) Team Arkea-Samsic
106 Fabio Felline (Ita) Astana-Premier Tech
107 Fabian Lienhard (Swi) Groupama-FDJ
108 Alexander Edmondson (Aus) Team BikeExchange
109 Daniel Oss (Ita) Bora-Hansgrohe
110 Sebastian Mora Vedri (Spa) Movistar Team
111 Norman Vahtra (Est) Israel Start-up Nation
112 Mads Pedersen (Den) Trek-Segafredo
113 Michal Golas (Pol) Ineos Grenadiers
114 Leonardo Basso (Ita) Ineos Grenadiers
115 Adrien Petit (Fra) Total Direct Energie
116 Cyril Lemoine (Fra) B&B Hotels p/b KTM
117 Jens Debusschere (Bel) B&B Hotels p/b KTM
118 Pieter Vanspeybrouck (Bel) Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert Matériaux
119 Alex Colman (Bel) Sport Vlaanderen-Baloise
120 Patrick Gamper (Aut) Bora-Hansgrohe
121 Sander Armee (Bel) Team Qhubeka Assos
122 Gijs Van Hoecke (Bel) AG2R Citroën Team
123 Yevgeniy Fedorov (Kaz) Astana-Premier Tech
124 Jasper Philipsen (Bel) Alpecin-Fenix
125 Zdenek Stybar (Cze) Deceuninck-QuickStep
126 Julius van den Berg (Ned) EF Education-Nippo
127 Ide Schelling (Ned) Bora-Hansgrohe
128 Vegard Stake Laengen (Nor) UAE Team Emirates
129 Bert De Backer (Bel) B&B Hotels p/b KTM
130 Mitch Docker (Aus) EF Education-Nippo 0:09:15
131 Davide Martinelli (Ita) Astana-Premier Tech
132 Jérémy Lecroq (Fra) B&B Hotels p/b KTM
133 Ludovic Robeet (Bel) Bingoal WB
134 Tom Scully (NZl) EF Education-Nippo
135 Imanol Erviti (Spa) Movistar Team
136 Ryan Gibbons (RSA) UAE Team Emirates
137 Callum Scotson (Aus) Team BikeExchange
138 Damien Gaudin (Fra) Total Direct Energie
139 Szymon Sajnok (Pol) Cofidis
140 Matis Louvel (Fra) Team Arkea-Samsic
DNF Brent Van Moer (Bel) Lotto Soudal
DNF Edoardo Affini (Ita) Jumbo-Visma
DNF Frederik Frison (Bel) Lotto Soudal
DNF Donavan Vincent Grondin (Fra) Team Arkea-Samsic
DNF Paul Martens (Ger) Jumbo-Visma
DNF Oliviero Troia (Ita) UAE Team Emirates
DNF Tim Declercq (Bel) Deceuninck-QuickStep
DNF Emil Vinjebo (Den) Team Qhubeka Assos
DNF Jasha Sütterlin (Ger) Team DSM
DNF Christopher Juul-Jensen (Den) Team BikeExchange
DNF Casper Pedersen (Den) Team DSM
DNF Charlie Quarterman (GBr) Trek-Segafredo
DNF Niklas Märkl (Ger) Team DSM
DNF Jakob Egholm (Den) Trek-Segafredo
DNF Florian Vermeersch (Bel) Lotto Soudal
DNF Alexis Gougeard (Fra) AG2R Citroën Team
DNF Mark Padun (Ukr) Bahrain Victorious
DNF Sonny Colbrelli (Ita) Bahrain Victorious
DNF Stephen Williams (GBr) Bahrain Victorious
DNF Maciej Bodnar (Pol) Bora-Hansgrohe
DNF Marcus Burghardt (Ger) Bora-Hansgrohe
DNF Kenny De Ketele (Bel) Sport Vlaanderen-Baloise
DNF Manuele Boaro (Ita) Astana-Premier Tech
DNF Jenthe Biermans (Bel) Israel Start-up Nation
DNF Julien Duval (Fra) AG2R Citroën Team
DNF Dimitri Peyskens (Bel) Bingoal WB
DNF Christopher Lawless (GBr) Total Direct Energie
DNF Sean De Bie (Bel) Bingoal WB
DNF Boy van Poppel (Ned) Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert Matériaux
DNF Marcel Sieberg (Ger) Bahrain Victorious
DNF Otto Vergaerde (Bel) Alpecin-Fenix
DNF Moreno Hofland (Ned) EF Education-Nippo
DNF Emmanuel Morin (Fra) Cofidis
DNS Reto Hollenstein (Swi) Israel Start-up Nation
DNS Guillaume Boivin (Can) Israel Start-up Nation