Jasper Stuyven (Trek-Segafredo) stormed to victory in Omloop Het Nieuwsblad as the strong Belgian outsprinted Yves Lampaert (Deceuninck - Quick-Step) on the line after an incredibly interesting race. Søren Kragh Andersen (Team Sunweb) finished third.
The windy and rainy weather conditions made this first race in the Opening Weekend even more challenging than it already was. After countless attacks, a strong group of eight riders managed to get clear with about 70 km left to go. The teams of the pre-race favorites almost all had a rider in the front group so the gap quickly jump to over two minutes before the peloton could organize a proper chase.
Many riders tried to bridge across and even though, at one point, it looked like it might come back together again, none of the chasers succeeded in joining the front group.
As the breakaway took on the iconic hill on Kapelmuur, Lampaert, Styyven and Kragh Andersen dropped their fellow escapees and formed a strong trio at the front. The three riders worked well together and it wasn’t until they entered the last two kilometers they started to attack each other.
Kragh Andersen couldn’t keep up with the two Belgians on the final kilometer and he had to settle for third place, while watching Stuyven sprinting to victory ahead of Lampaert. Matteo Trentin (CCC Team) finished in fourth place, while Tim Declercq was fifth.
*Graphics provided by Alto Digital Media