Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Premier Tech) won Omloop Nieuwsblad on his first attempt, attacking from a seated position on the steepest pitches of the Muur van Geraardsbergen with 16km remaining and soloing into Ninove 22 seconds clear. Tim van Dijke (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe) outsprinted Florian Vermeersch (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) for second.
Men's Race Results
Ghent - Ninove • Feb 28 • 207.6km
| Pos | Rider | Team | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🥇 | Mathieu Van Der Poel | ALPECIN-PREMIER TECHALPECIN-PREMIER TECH | 4:53:55 |
| 🥈 | Tim Van Dijke | RED BULL - BORA - HANSGROHERED BULL - BORA - HANSGROHE | +22 |
| 🥉 | Florian Vermeersch | UAE TEAM EMIRATES XRGUAE TEAM EMIRATES XRG | +24 |
| 4 | Christophe Laporte | TEAM VISMA | LEASE A BIKETEAM VISMA | LEASE A BIKE | +53 |
| 5 | Aime De Gendt | PINARELLO-Q36.5 PRO CYCLING TEAMPINARELLO-Q36.5 PRO CYCLING TEAM | +54 |
| 6 | Tobias Lund Andresen | DECATHLON CMA CGM TEAMDECATHLON CMA CGM TEAM | +57 |
| 7 | Jordi Meeus | RED BULL - BORA - HANSGROHERED BULL - BORA - HANSGROHE | +57 |
| 8 | Anthony Turgis | TOTALENERGIESTOTALENERGIES | +57 |
| 9 | Alexis Renard | COFIDISCOFIDIS | +57 |
| 10 | Luke Lamperti | EF EDUCATION - EASYPOSTEF EDUCATION - EASYPOST | +57 |
| 11 | Paul Magnier | SOUDAL QUICK-STEPSOUDAL QUICK-STEP | +57 |
| 12 | Matyáš Kopecký | UNIBET ROSE ROCKETSUNIBET ROSE ROCKETS | +57 |
| 13 | Laurence Pithie | RED BULL - BORA - HANSGROHERED BULL - BORA - HANSGROHE | +57 |
| 14 | Nils Politt | UAE TEAM EMIRATES XRGUAE TEAM EMIRATES XRG | +57 |
| 15 | Matteo Trentin | TUDOR PRO CYCLING TEAMTUDOR PRO CYCLING TEAM | +57 |
| 16 | Jenno Berckmoes | LOTTO INTERMARCHÉLOTTO INTERMARCHÉ | +57 |
| 17 | Jonas Abrahamsen | UNO-X MOBILITYUNO-X MOBILITY | +57 |
| 18 | Jelte Krijnsen | TEAM JAYCO ALULATEAM JAYCO ALULA | +57 |
| 19 | Vincent Van Hemelen | TEAM FLANDERS - BALOISETEAM FLANDERS - BALOISE | +57 |
| 20 | Dylan Teuns | COFIDISCOFIDIS | +57 |
Crashes claimed domestiques and disrupted favourites throughout: Tom Pidcock (Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team) was distanced after mechanical trouble on the Eikenberg, Paul Magnier (Soudal Quick-Step) needed two bike changes, and Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Premier Tech) flatted and had to chase back.
The near miss
The race turned with 44km to go on the Molenberg. Vermeersch launched a hard acceleration on the cobbles, but behind him a Tudor Pro Cycling rider slid out directly in Van der Poel's path.
The Dutchman unclipped, avoided the fallen rider and still bridged to Vermeersch by the summit. Van Dijke joined shortly after, and the trio quickly built close to a minute on a fragmented peloton where Matthew Brennan (Visma-Lease a Bike) was caught up in a separate crash.
On the Kapelmuur's 20% ramps, Van der Poel accelerated seated and opened daylight immediately. Late counter-attacks from the peloton came too late, with Laporte winning the sprint for fourth, 53 seconds back.
The redesigned finale, with Tenbosse and Parikeberg inserted before the Muur-Bosberg sequence, resulted in a more fractured peloton at the Muur compared to last year's edition, which regrouped into a 49-rider sprint. Organisers wanted a harder race. Van der Poel obliged.
"This wasn't on our list yet, so I'm really happy with today," he said, already looking ahead to a cobbled spring where, historically, no rider has doubled Omloop and Tour of Flanders in the same year.
The men's contenders picture:
Tim van Dijke – Trained with Van der Poel all winter, bridged to the lead group on the Molenberg, outsprinted Vermeersch for second. Career-best result.
Florian Vermeersch – Attacked on the Molenberg but a jammed chain and cramp on the Muur ended his challenge. Third. Blamed Van Dijke for not collaborating.
Christophe Laporte – Blocked by the Pluimers crash, missed the decisive split. Fought back to fourth in his first Flandrien classic in two years.
Tom Pidcock – Derailleur hit in a crash, forced a bike change, never recovered in freezing conditions. Finished 48th.
Paul Magnier – Mechanical on the Eikenberg at 60km out dented his race. Brennan crashed near the Muur but should start Kuurne. De Lie finished 62nd.
Vollering takes women's win
Demi Vollering (FDJ United-SUEZ) won the 2026 Omloop Het Nieuwsblad Women on Saturday, attacking on the Muur van Geraardsbergen and then outsprinting Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney (Canyon//SRAM zondacrypto) in a two-up finish in Ninove. A mass crash on wet roads with 20km remaining had already disrupted the peloton and distanced Lotte Kopecky (SD Worx-Protime).
Women's Race Results
Ghent - Ninove • Feb 28 • 130km
| Pos | Rider | Team | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🥇 | Demi Vollering | FDJ UNITED - SUEZFDJ UNITED - SUEZ | 3:35:51 |
| 🥈 | Katarzyna Anna Niewiadoma-Phinney | CANYON//SRAM ZONDACRYPTOCANYON//SRAM ZONDACRYPTO | +00 |
| 🥉 | Lorena Wiebes | TEAM SD WORX - PROTIMETEAM SD WORX - PROTIME | +21 |
| 4 | Cat Ferguson | MOVISTAR TEAMMOVISTAR TEAM | +21 |
| 5 | Franziska Koch | FDJ UNITED - SUEZFDJ UNITED - SUEZ | +21 |
| 6 | Karlijn Swinkels | UAE TEAM ADQUAE TEAM ADQ | +21 |
| 7 | Shari Bossuyt | AG INSURANCE - SOUDAL TEAMAG INSURANCE - SOUDAL TEAM | +21 |
| 8 | Millie Couzens | FENIX-PREMIER TECHFENIX-PREMIER TECH | +21 |
| 9 | Nina Berton | EF EDUCATION - OATLYEF EDUCATION - OATLY | +21 |
| 10 | Letizia Paternoster | LIV-ALULA-JAYCOLIV-ALULA-JAYCO | +21 |
| 11 | Juliette Berthet | FDJ UNITED - SUEZFDJ UNITED - SUEZ | +21 |
| 12 | Kamilla Aasebø | UNO-X MOBILITYUNO-X MOBILITY | +21 |
| 13 | Daniek Hengeveld | TEAM VISMA | LEASE A BIKETEAM VISMA | LEASE A BIKE | +21 |
| 14 | Elise Chabbey | FDJ UNITED - SUEZFDJ UNITED - SUEZ | +21 |
| 15 | Eleonora Camilla Gasparrini | UAE TEAM ADQUAE TEAM ADQ | +21 |
| 16 | Letizia Borghesi | AG INSURANCE - SOUDAL TEAMAG INSURANCE - SOUDAL TEAM | +25 |
| 17 | Anna Van Der Breggen | TEAM SD WORX - PROTIMETEAM SD WORX - PROTIME | +47 |
| 18 | Elisa Balsamo | LIDL - TREKLIDL - TREK | +1:26 |
| 19 | Susanne Andersen | UNO-X MOBILITYUNO-X MOBILITY | +1:26 |
| 20 | Arlenis Sierra Canadilla | MOVISTAR TEAMMOVISTAR TEAM | +1:26 |
The crash removed key contenders and reshaped the race before Vollering forced the decisive selection on the remaining climbs.
Entering the Muur van Geraardsbergen (1.1km at 7.5%), German champion Franziska Koch (FDJ United-SUEZ) drove a hard lead-out for her team leader. On the steepest cobbled ramps, Vollering accelerated clear. Only Niewiadoma-Phinney could hold the wheel. That was the split.
By the top of the Bosberg with 11km remaining, the pair held a 40-second gap over the chasers. Behind, Anna van der Breggen (SD Worx-Protime) drove the pursuit to set up sprinter Lorena Wiebes (SD Worx-Protime), but the deficit barely budged, still sitting just under 40 seconds at the 2km banner. Cooperation up front and hesitation behind kept the gap stable.
Inside the final kilometre, Niewiadoma-Phinney briefly moved to the front, but Vollering led out the sprint from 500 metres and had the legs to hold it. The European champion crossed the line first, arms raised, for her 59th professional victory and her first at this race. In 2022, she lost a similar two-up sprint here to Annemiek van Vleuten. This time the outcome was different.
Wiebes took third comfortably from the chase group, while Cat Ferguson (Movistar) finished fourth.
The women's contenders picture:
Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney – Matched Vollering on the Muur and stayed with her to the line, but lacked the sprint power. Second. Reported knee pain from a dropped chain.
Lorena Wiebes – SD Worx-Protime's sprinter took third from the chase group, 21 seconds back. Van der Breggen drove the pursuit but the gap never closed.
Lotte Kopecky – Derailleur damaged in a crash just before the Muur, couldn't shift, took a teammate's bike. Lost a minute at the worst moment. Said her legs felt good.
Cat Ferguson – Fourth for Movistar. Quiet but consistent ride through the chaos. Continues to build her cobbled classics credentials in her second WorldTour season.
Franziska Koch – Didn't feature in the result but drove the decisive lead-out on the Muur for Vollering. Key tactical contribution from the German champion.
Cover image credit: Zac Williams/SWpix.com
