2018 Omloop Het Nieuwsblad (formerly Het Volk)
(World Tour), Belgium
73rd edition: Saturday, February 24, 2018
Omloop Het Nieuwsblad podium history | 2017 edition | 2019 edition | Photos | Map & profile | Start list
Gent - Ninove, 196 km
Michael Valgren wins in style
Weather at Gent at 2:00 PM, local time: 4C (40F), sunny with the wind from the ENE at 24 km/hr (15 mph)
The race: Here's the report from second-place Lukasz Wisniowski's Team Sky:
Lukasz Wisniowski battled to second at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad after a gutsy ride in the opening Classic of the season.
The Pole hung tough over the final two climbs in Belgium having made it across to the lead group, before pushing clear in the closing kilometre to seal second behind solo winner Michael Valgren (Astana).
Valgren picked the perfect moment to attack in the final stages and nobody from the elite front group was able to bring the Dane back. Sep Vanmarcke (Education First-Drapac p/b Cannondale) set off in pursuit but Wisniowski managed to get on terms with the Belgian and beat him to second ahead of the chasing peloton, who rolled over the line moments later.
Owain Doull sprinted to an impressive 11th from the bunch, with Dylan van Baarle also rolling in as part of the peloton.
The opening Classic of 2018 kept threatening to explode in the final 60km but nobody was able to spark the decisive breakaway until the race hit the famous Muur van Geraardsbergen 20km from the finish. It was there that a group was able to finally forge clear and initially it looked as though there was no Team Sky representative in the selection, before Wisniowski fought across from behind.
Then it was time to climb the equally tough Bosberg - the 13th and final climb of the 196km race - and Wisniowski fought hard to stay on the back of the group, ahead of the cat and mouse run to the line.
A number of riders tried to go clear as the kilometres ticked down, while the peloton continued to close in from behind. Vanmarke and Zdenek Stybar (Quick-Step Floors) both attempted to slip away, but it was Valgren who chose the perfect moment to go.
Speaking to TeamSky.com after the race, a delighted Wisniowski was quick to thank his teammates for their help. He said: “For a long time I’ve not had a top three finish in a race and I’d like to thank all my teammates that helped me earn this result.
“I felt in the Algarve last week that I was in good shape, so what I needed today was some good luck and to have a good day and finally I was second, so I'm really happy about that!
“It’s my third year riding the Classics. I knew that I needed more time to get to know the roads and improve my conditioning and this year I feel like I'm in really good condition. We did a good recon, so I knew the roads, and I'm really happy with the result.”
Van Baarle had started the day as the team’s leader and looked well placed heading on to the Muur, but he was unable to follow the stinging attacks towards the top part of the climb. Earlier he'd battled back to the peloton after an unfortunate rear wheel puncture with 60km to go and he remained to the fore until the Muur, alongside Doull and Wisniowski.
Chris Lawless, Christian Knees, Jon Dibben and Michal Golas all performed strong team roles and will all be set to go again tomorrow at Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne.
Sport Director Servais Knaven was full of praise for Wisniowski and explained that Van Baarle's untimely puncture made it hard for him to compete. The Dutchman said: “It's a fantastic result for Lukasz. He rode really well in Algarve, working for the team, and today he had his own result which is really great for him and great for the team - a good start to the season.
“He was maybe not the one that everyone expected, as Dylan was our leader, but he had some bad luck at an unfortunate moment [with a puncture]. He fought back to the front but it’s not easy. He expended a lot of energy, but he was still there in the final metres, and it gave an opportunity to Lukasz to try something."
Complete Results:
175 starters, 98 classified finishers, 77 abandons
196 kilometers raced at an average speed of 40.519 km/hr
| 1 | VALGREN Michael | Astana | 4hr 50min 14sec |
| 2 | WISNIOWSKI Lukasz | Sky | @ 12sec |
| 3 | VANMARCKE Sep | EF Education First-Drapac | s.t. |
| 4 | STUYVEN Jasper | Trek-Segafredo | s.t. |
| 5 | GILBERT Philippe | Quick-Step Floors | s.t. |
| 6 | THEUNS Edward | Team Sunweb | s.t. |
| 7 | VAN LERBERGHE Bert | Cofidis | s.t. |
| 8 | COLBRELLI Sonny | Bahrain-Merida | s.t. |
| 9 | DÉMARE Arnaud | FDJ | s.t. |
| 10 | BURGHARDT Marcus | Bora-hansgrohe | s.t. |
| 11 | DOULL Owain | Sky | s.t. |
| 12 | WÜRTZ Mads | Katusha-Alpecin | s.t. |
| 13 | THWAITES Scott | Dimension Data | s.t. |
| 14 | MODOLO Sacha | EF Education First-Drapac | s.t. |
| 15 | VAN GESTEL Dries | Sport Vlaanderen-Baloise | s.t. |
| 16 | ROOSEN Timo | LottoNL-Jumbo | s.t. |
| 17 | CAPIOT Amaury | Sport Vlaanderen-Baloise | s.t. |
| 18 | DILLIER Silvan | Ag2r La Mondiale | s.t. |
| 19 | JANSEN Amund | LottoNL-Jumbo | s.t. |
| 20 | STYBAR Zdenek | Quick-Step Floors | s.t. |
| 21 | KEUKELEIRE Jens | Lotto-Soudal | s.t. |
| 22 | KÜNG Stefan | BMC | s.t. |
| 23 | CORT NIELSEN Magnus | Astana | s.t. |
| 24 | VANDENBERGH Stijn | Ag2r La Mondiale | s.t. |
| 25 | MARCATO Marco | UAE-Team Emirates | s.t. |
| 26 | PLANCKAERT Baptiste | Katusha-Alpecin | s.t. |
| 27 | NAESEN Oliver | Ag2r La Mondiale | s.t. |
| 28 | OFFREDO Yoann | Wanty-Groupe Gobert | s.t. |
| 29 | PERICHON Pierre-Luc | Fortuneo-Samsic | s.t. |
| 30 | DRUCKER Jean-Pierre | BMC | s.t. |
| 31 | WYNANTS Maarten | LottoNL-Jumbo | s.t. |
| 32 | VAN AERT Wout | Veranda's Willems-Crelan | s.t. |
| 33 | BACKAERT Frederik | Wanty-Groupe Gobert | s.t. |
| 34 | TURGIS Anthony | Cofidis | s.t. |
| 35 | KIRSCH Alex | WB-Aqua Protect-Veranclassic | s.t. |
| 36 | LAMPAERT Yves | Quick-Step Floors | s.t. |
| 37 | MÜLLER Patrick | Vital Concept Cycling Club | s.t. |
| 38 | GATTO Oscar | Astana | s.t. |
| 39 | DE BIE Sean | Veranda's Willems-Crelan | s.t. |
| 40 | VERMOTE Julien | Dimension Data | s.t. |
| 41 | VANTOMME Maxime | WB-Aqua Protect-Veranclassic | s.t. |
| 42 | LUTSENKO Alexey | Astana | s.t. |
| 43 | SMITH Dion | Wanty-Groupe Gobert | s.t. |
| 44 | KOREN Kristijan | Bahrain-Merida | s.t. |
| 45 | DURBRIDGE Luke | Mitchelton-Scott | s.t. |
| 46 | JUUL-JENSEN Christopher | Mitchelton-Scott | s.t. |
| 47 | ANDERSEN SOren Kragh | Team Sunweb | s.t. |
| 48 | SCHILLINGER Andreas | Bora-hansgrohe | s.t. |
| 49 | SPRENGERS Thomas | Sport Vlaanderen-Baloise | s.t. |
| 50 | VAN AVERMAET Greg | BMC | s.t. |
| 51 | VAN BAARLE Dylan | Sky | s.t. |
| 52 | TERPSTRA Niki | Quick-Step Floors | s.t. |
| 53 | HEPBURN Michael | Mitchelton-Scott | s.t. |
| 54 | OSS Daniel | Bora-hansgrohe | s.t. |
| 55 | TRENTIN Matteo | Mitchelton-Scott | s.t. |
| 56 | SINKELDAM Ramon | FDJ | s.t. |
| 57 | LINDEMAN Bert-Jan | LottoNL-Jumbo | 0:32 |
| 58 | DE GENDT Aime | Sport Vlaanderen-Baloise | 0:41 |
| 59 | BENOOT Tiesj | Lotto-Soudal | 1:29 |
| 60 | DE BUYST Jasper | Lotto-Soudal | 1:48 |
| 61 | DENZ Nico | Ag2r La Mondiale | 2:42 |
| 62 | BAGDONAS Gediminas | Ag2r La Mondiale | s.t. |
| 63 | BIERMANS Jenthe | Katusha-Alpecin | s.t. |
| 64 | SCHAR Michael | BMC | s.t. |
| 65 | GERTS Floris | Roompot-Nederlandse Loterij | s.t. |
| 66 | VAN HOOYDONCK Nathan | BMC | s.t. |
| 67 | BOLE Grega | Bahrain-Merida | s.t. |
| 68 | LEEZER Tom | LottoNL-Jumbo | s.t. |
| 69 | WELLENS Tim | Lotto-Soudal | s.t. |
| 70 | DE VREESE Laurens | Astana | s.t. |
| 71 | SWIFT Ben | UAE-Team Emirates | s.t. |
| 72 | HOLLENSTEIN Reto | Katusha-Alpecin | s.t. |
| 73 | PIBERNIK Luka | Bahrain-Merida | s.t. |
| 74 | DEVOLDER Stijn | Veranda's Willems-Crelan | s.t. |
| 75 | GRUZDEV Dmitriy | Astana | s.t. |
| 76 | KUZNETSOV Viacheslav | Katusha-Alpecin | s.t. |
| 77 | DE BACKER Bert | Vital Concept Cycling Club | s.t. |
| 78 | COQUARD Bryan | Vital Concept Cycling Club | s.t. |
| 79 | WALLAYS Jelle | Lotto-Soudal | s.t. |
| 80 | LE BON Johan | Vital Concept Cycling Club | s.t. |
| 81 | LE GAC Olivier | FDJ | 6:14 |
| 82 | EDMONDSON Alexander | Mitchelton-Scott | s.t. |
| 83 | POLITT Nils | Katusha-Alpecin | 9:12 |
| 84 | GARCIA Ivan | Bahrain-Merida | s.t. |
| 85 | FELLINE Fabio | Trek-Segafredo | s.t. |
| 86 | GAVIRIA Fernando | Quick-Step Floors | s.t. |
| 87 | LEMOINE Cyril | Cofidis | s.t. |
| 88 | DOCKER Mitchell | EF Education First-Drapac | s.t. |
| 89 | BRESCHEL Matti | EF Education First-Drapac | s.t. |
| 90 | CLAEYS Dimitri | Cofidis | s.t. |
| 91 | BAK Lars Ytting | Lotto-Soudal | 12:16 |
| 92 | PEDERSEN Mads | Trek-Segafredo | s.t. |
| 93 | SARAMOTINS Aleksejs | Bora-hansgrohe | s.t. |
| 94 | KORSAETH Truls | Astana | s.t. |
| 95 | DE WINTER Ludwig | WB-Aqua Protect-Veranclassic | s.t. |
| 96 | VAN POPPEL Boy | Trek-Segafredo | s.t. |
| 97 | TANKINK Bram | LottoNL-Jumbo | s.t. |
| 98 | PLANCKAERT Edward | Sport Vlaanderen-Baloise | s.t. |
2018 Omloop Het Nieuwsblad photos by Fotoreporter Sirotti:
A warmly dressed peloton awaits the start
Some riders in an escape take their chances of getting a flat by riding on the side gutter rather getting hammered by the cobbles.
Ramon Sinkeldam climbs the Grammont.
Sep Vanmarcke
A break tries to put some gain time on the cobbles.
The chasing peloton at the Haaghoek stretch of pavé
They aren't going to catch Michael Valgren today.
Lukasz Wisniowski nabs second-place ahead of Sep Vanmarcke
The podium, from left: Lukasz Wisniowski (2nd), Michael Valgren & Sep Vanmarcke (3rd)
2018 Omloop Het Nieuwsblad map & profile:
2018 Omloop Het Nieuwsblad map
2018 Omloop Het Nieuwsblad profile part 1
2018 Omloop Het Nieuwsblad profile part 2
| BMC | |
| DS: Klaas Lodewyck | |
| 1 | VAN AVERMAET Greg |
| 2 | VENTOSO Francisco |
| 3 | DRUCKER Jean-Pierre |
| 4 | KÜNG Stefan |
| 5 | ROELANDTS Jurgen |
| 6 | SCHÄR Michael |
| 7 | VAN HOOYDONCK Nathan |
| AG2R LA MONDIALE | |
| DS: Nicolas Guille | |
| 11 | BAGDONAS Gediminas |
| 12 | DENZ Nico |
| 13 | DILLIER Silvan |
| 14 | DUVAL Julien |
| 15 | GOUGEARD Alexis |
| 16 | NAESEN Oliver |
| 17 | VANDENBERGH Stijn |
| ASTANA | |
| DS: Lars Michaelsen | |
| 21 | DE VREESE Laurens |
| 22 | GATTO Oscar |
| 23 | GRUZDEV Dmitriy |
| 24 | KORSAETH Truls Engen |
| 25 | LUTSENKO Alexey |
| 26 | CORT NIELSEN Magnus |
| 27 | VALGREN ANDERSEN Michael |
| BAHRAIN-MERIDA | |
| DS: Tristan Hoffman | |
| 31 | BOLE Grega |
| 32 | BOZIC Borut |
| 33 | COLBRELLI Sonny |
| 34 | GARCIA Ivan |
| 35 | PER David |
| 36 | KOREN Kristjan |
| 37 | PIBERNIK Luka |
| BORA-HANSGROHE | |
| DS: Steffen Radochla | |
| 41 | BURGHARDT Marcus |
| 42 | OSS Daniel |
| 43 | PFINGSTEN Christoph |
| 44 | POSTLBERGER Lukas |
| 45 | SARAMOTINS Aleksejs |
| 46 | SCHILLINGER Andreas |
| 47 | SCHWARZMANN Michael |
| EF EDUCATION FIRST-DRAPAC | |
| DS: Andreas Klier | |
| 51 | VANMARCKE Sep |
| 52 | BRESCHEL Matti |
| 53 | LANGEVELD Sebastian |
| 54 | MODOLO Sacha |
| 55 | SCULLY Thomas |
| 56 | OWEN Logan |
| 57 | DOCKER Mitchell |
| FDJ | |
| DS: Martial Gayant | |
| 61 | DEMARE Arnaud |
| 62 | DUCHESNE Antoine |
| 63 | DELAGE Mickael |
| 64 | HOELGAARD Daniel |
| 65 | KONOVALOVAS Ignatas |
| 66 | LE GAC Olivier |
| 67 | SINKELDAM Ramon |
| LOTTO-SOUDAL | |
| DS: Herman Frison | |
| 71 | BENOOT Tiesj |
| 72 | DE BUYST Jasper |
| 73 | KEUKELEIRE Jens |
| 74 | BAK Lars Ytting |
| 75 | NAESEN Lawrence |
| 76 | WALLAYS Jelle |
| 77 | WELLENS Tim |
| MITCHELTON-SCOTT | |
| DS: Laurenzo Lapage | |
| 81 | HAMILTON Lucas |
| 82 | DURBRIDGE Luke |
| 83 | EDMONDSON Alexander |
| 84 | HAYMAN Mathew |
| 85 | HEPBURN Michael |
| 86 | JUUL JENSEN Christopher |
| 87 | TRENTIN Matteo |
| QUICK-STEP FLOORS | |
| DS: Wilfried Peeters | |
| 91 | GILBERT Philippe |
| 92 | GAVIRIA Fernando |
| 93 | DEVENYNS Dries |
| 94 | KEISSE Iljo |
| 95 | LAMPAERT Yves |
| 96 | STYBAR Zdenek |
| 97 | TERPSTRA Niki |
| DIMENSION DATA | |
| DS: Jean-Pierre Heynderickx | |
| 101 | BOASSON HAGEN Edvald |
| 102 | DOUGALL Nick |
| 103 | EISEL Bernhard |
| 104 | GIBBONS Ryan |
| 105 | THOMSON Jay Robert |
| 106 | THWAITES Scott |
| 107 | VERMOTE Julien |
| KATUSHA-ALPECIN | |
| DS: Gennady Mikhaylov | |
| 111 | BIERMANS Jenthe |
| 112 | HOLLENSTEIN Reto |
| 113 | KUZNETSOV Vyacheslav |
| 114 | MATHIS Marco |
| 115 | PLANCKAERT Baptiste |
| 116 | POLITT Nils |
| 117 | SCHMIDT Mads |
| LOTTO NL-JUMBO | |
| DS: Jan Boven | |
| 121 | BOUWMAN Koen |
| 122 | JANSEN Amund |
| 123 | LEEZER Tom |
| 124 | LINDEMAN Bertjan |
| 125 | ROOSEN Timo |
| 126 | TANKINK Bram |
| 127 | WYNANTS Maarten |
| SKY | |
| DS: Rodney Ellingworth | |
| 131 | DIBBEN Jonathan |
| 132 | DOULL Owain |
| 133 | GOLAS Michal |
| 134 | KNEES Christian |
| 135 | LAWLESS Christopher |
| 136 | VAN BAARLE Dylan |
| 137 | WISNIOWSKI Lukasz |
| TEAM SUNWEB | |
| DS: Arthur Van Dongen | |
| 141 | KRAGH ANDERSEN Søren |
| 142 | CURVERS Roy |
| 143 | TEN DAM Laurens |
| 144 | MATTHEWS Michael |
| 145 | STAMSNIJDER Tom |
| 146 | THEUNS Edward |
| 147 | TUSVELD Martijn |
| TREK-SEGAFREDO | |
| DS: Dirk Demol | |
| 151 | FELLINE Fabio |
| 152 | MULLEN Ryan |
| 153 | NIZZOLO Giacomo |
| 154 | RAST Grégory |
| 155 | PEDERSEN Mads |
| 156 | STUYVEN Jasper |
| 157 | VAN POPPEL Boy |
| UAE-TEAM EMIRATES | |
| DS: Mario Scirea | |
| 161 | BONO Matteo |
| 162 | CONSONNI Simone |
| 163 | GANNA Filippo |
| 164 | MARCATO Marco |
| 165 | RIABUSHENKO Aliaksandr |
| 166 | SWIFT Ben |
| 167 | TROIA Oliviero |
| COFIDIS | |
| DS: Alain Deloeuil | |
| 171 | LAPORTE Christophe |
| 172 | VAN STAEYEN Michael |
| 173 | CLAEYS Dimitri |
| 174 | LEMOINE Cyril |
| 175 | TURGIS Anthony |
| 176 | VAN LERBERGHE Bert |
| 177 | VANBILSEN Kenneth |
| ROOMPOT-NEDERLANDSE LOTERIJ | |
| DS: Erik Breukink | |
| 181 | ARIESEN Tim |
| 182 | GERTS Floris |
| 183 | LIGTHART Pim |
| 184 | WEENING Pieter |
| 185 | VAN GINNEKEN Sjoerd |
| 186 | VAN GOETHEM Brian |
| 187 | VERMELTFOORT Coen |
| SPORT VLAANDEREN-BALOISE | |
| DS: Walter Planckaert | |
| 191 | CAPIOT Amaury |
| 192 | DECLERCQ Benjamin |
| 193 | DE GENDT Aimé |
| 194 | PLANCKAERT Edward |
| 195 | SPRENGERS Thomas |
| 196 | VAN GESTEL Dries |
| 197 | VAN HECKE Preben |
| FORTUNEO-SAMSIC | |
| DS: Yvon Caér | |
| 201 | SVENDGAARD Michael Carbel |
| 202 | DANIEL Maxime |
| 203 | GERARD Arnaud |
| 204 | JARRIER Benoit |
| 205 | PERICHON Pierre-Luc |
| 206 | VACHON Florian |
| 207 | WELTEN Bram |
| VERANDA'S WILLEMS-CRELAN | |
| DS: Michiel Elijzen | |
| 211 | DE BIE Sean |
| 212 | DE BONDT Dries |
| 213 | DEVOLDER Stijn |
| 214 | DUYN Huub |
| 215 | STEELS Stijn |
| 216 | VAN AERT Wout |
| 217 | LEYSEN Senne |
| VITAL CONCEPT | |
| DS: Yvonnick Bolgiani | |
| 221 | BOECKMANS Kris |
| 222 | COQUARD Bryan |
| 223 | DE BACKER Bert |
| 224 | LE BON Johan |
| 225 | MÜLLER Patrick |
| 226 | MORICE Julien |
| 227 | VAN GENECHTEN Jonas |
| WANTY–GROUPE GOBERT | |
| DS: Hilaire Van der Schuren | |
| 231 | BACKAERT Frederik |
| 232 | DEVRIENDT Tom |
| 233 | KREDER Wesley |
| 234 | OFFREDO Yoann |
| 235 | VAN KEIRSBULCK Guillaume |
| 236 | SMITH Dion |
| 237 | VANSPEYBROUCK Pieter |
| WB-AQUA PROTECT-VERANCLASSIC | |
| DS: Thierry Marichal | |
| 241 | DE WINTER Ludwig |
| 242 | ISTA Kevin |
| 243 | JULES Justin |
| 244 | KIRSCH Alex |
| 245 | STASSEN Julien |
| 246 | SPENGLER Lukas |
| 247 | VANTOMME Maxime |