Preview Omloop Het Nieuwsblad 2025 | 1st day of March: opener of classics season including Van Aert!

It's almost that time of year again—the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad! The cycling season has been in full swing for a while now, with exciting races in Australia, France, Spain, Portugal, Italy, and the Middle East, but for some cycling fans, it only really starts with the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad. IDLProCycling.com gives you a detailed preview!

The Omloop traditionally kicks off the classics season, and 2024 will be no different. It is the first big event, even though more and more top riders are choosing to skip the race. We won't see Mathieu van der Poel, Mads Pedersen, and Tadej Pogacar in action, but there are still plenty of other top riders.

Two of the last three winners will be present. Wout van Aert won the race in 2022 and will be there again, as will defending champion Jan Tratnik. The Slovenian switched from Visma | Lease a Bike to Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe this winter and will now compete against his former teammates. Dylan van Baarle - who could have won in 2023 - had to withdraw from the race after breaking his collarbone in the Tour Down Under.

Practical information Omloop Het Nieuwsblad 2025

• Saturday, March 1, 2025
• Participants 
• Classification: WorldTour
  

In this article

• Latest winners
• Course, weather and times
• Favorites
• TV information

Latest winners Omloop Het Nieuwsblad 

2024 Jan Tratnik
2023 Dylan van Baarle
2022 Wout van Aert
2021 Davide Ballerini
2020 Jasper Stuyven
2019 Zdenek Stybar
2018 Michael Valgren
2017 Greg Van Avermaet
2016 Greg Van Avermaet
2015 Ian Stannard
2014 Ian Stannard

Course, weather and times Omloop Het Nieuwsblad 2025

This year's Omloop Het Nieuwsblad covers a total distance of 197.2 kilometers, five kilometers less than last year. Apart from a few adjustments at the beginning, there are no significant changes so that we can prepare for the classic Omloop scenario regarding the expected crucial points.

After the team presentation in 't Kuipke in Ghent, the riders will get on their bikes for the stamina test through Flanders. After 33 kilometers, the first cobblestone section (Paddestraat) appears, followed fifteen kilometers later by the first climb, Leberg. Normally, a breakaway group would have already been formed by then, and the major teams would have put a man at the head of the peloton.

Halfway through the race, we arrive in the Flemish Ardennes, with the Lange Munte, Leberg, and Valkenbeg in succession. With about fifty kilometers to go, the Eikenberg/Wolvenberg combination is often the starting point of the last part of the race, especially since the cobblestone sections of Holleweg and Kerkgate/Jagerij follow fairly quickly. We are now approaching the final hour of the race.

This is followed by the Leberg, Berendries, and Vossenhol combination, which is preceded by the last cobbled section: the Haaghoek. After the Vossenhol, the riders are given ten kilometers of 'rest' before the most famous climb: the Kapelmuur in Geraardsbergen. Together with the Bosberg, the Kapelmuur has been a regular feature of the Tour of Flanders final for years.

After the top of the Bosberg hill, there are twelve fast kilometers towards Ninove, with a light headwind. The finish is slightly uphill, just like in recent years.

Climbs and cobblestones.

Weather
Belgium will have a nice and sunny weekend. The maximum temperature will be 7 degrees Celsius, and there will be little wind.

Times
Start: 05:15 AM EST
Finish: approximately 10:05 AM EST

Favorites Omloop Het Nieuwsblad 2025

Visma | Lease a Bike won the last three editions of the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, making them the team to beat this year. Wout van Aert is the outspoken leader of the Dutch team, which will have to do without star riders Christophe Laporte (sick) and Dylan van Baarle (still injured) in the Omloop. This is naturally a disappointment to the team, as they are among the riders who know how to race in the spring races.

Of course, Van Aert—who is focusing on the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix—will be assisted between Ghent and Ninove by regular team member Tiesj Benoot and newcomers Victor Campenaerts, Matteo Jorgenson, and Per Strand Hagenes. So, there will still be plenty of people to create a great race.

Soudal Quick-Step no longer has Julian Alaphilippe or Kasper Asgreen but has Paul Magnier. The French rider was in the Algarve last week but did not participate in the Volta ao Algarve. Why? Because he is training for the Omloop, where the barely 20-year-old French rider is already considered one of the favorites in the peloton. In Besseges and Figueira, he proved that he has managed to take another step forward.

Those who still remember the 2024 Omloop know that Lidl-Trek dominated the race. The German-American team is once again sending a strong team. Mads Pedersen has now made a habit of not riding the Omloop, and Jonathan Milan is focusing on Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne. However, they still have former winner Jasper Stuyven, top talent Mathias Vacek, and Toms Skujins - last season's surprise - on board. You'd better keep an eye on them.

So far, the team of 2025 is UAE Emirates-XRG. Tadej Pogacar will skip the Opening Weekend as usual, giving other riders a chance. Nils Politt came second in the Omloop last year, where Tim Wellens has also been a familiar face for years. We can also expect something from Jhonatan Narváez, who has also shown great performances in the Opening Weekend, Florian Vermeersch, and top talent Antonio Morgado.

Are there any more? Certainly! Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe is bringing along last year's winner, Jan Tratnik and Jordi Meeus, who are very good at climbing in the Algarve and will focus mainly on Kuurne. In addition, Mick and Tim van Dijke will debut for the German team after a three-week altitude training camp.

Alpecin-Deceuninck is still without its leader, Mathieu van der Poel, but it has strong Gianni Vermeersch and fast men Jasper Philipsen and Kaden Groves on board. They may be among the teams that want to bring it together again on the way to Ninove, like Lotto (Arnaud De Lie), Intermarché-Wanty (Biniam Girmay), and EF Education-EasyPost (Madis Mikhels). However, that last team has Kasper Asgreen and Vincenzo Albanese, who are still eager to attack.

We have a few in that category: what about Q36.5 man Tom Pidcock? Or Matej Mohoric, from Bahrain Victorious? Stefan Küng in his Groupama-FDJ shirt? With the new credo and the way of racing, INEOS can give guys like Joshua Tarling, Connor Swift, Sam Watson, and Ben Turner some freedom. Or seasoned pros like Oliver Naesen (Decathlon AG2R) and Tudor pawn Matteo Trentin, who are always on time and ready to go.

And then there are a lot of guys whose skills will be tested—for example, former winner Davide Ballerini and his XDS-Astana teammates Mike Teunissen and Alberto Bettiol. Jonas Abrahamsen of Uno-X is also working on his top form in Spain. He joins the list of hidden favorites, as do Joe Blackmore, Rhiley Sheehan (Israel-Premier Tech), Dries Van Gestel (Soudal Quick-Step), Dylan Teuns (Cofidis), Ivan Garcia Cortina (Movistar), and - who knows - even Lukas Kubis of Unibet Tietema Rockets in his first participation.

Who are the favorites for the 2025 Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, according to IDLProCycling.com?

Top favorites: Wout van Aert (Visma | Lease a Bike) and Paul Magnier (Soudal Quick-Step)
Outsiders: Jasper Stuyven, Mathias Vacek (Lidl-Trek), Jhonatan Narváez (UAE Emirates-XRG), Matteo Jorgenson (Visma | Lease a Bike) and Tom Pidcock (Q36.5)
Long shots: Antonio Morgado, Tim Wellens (UAE Emirates-XRG), Jan Tratnik, Jordi Meeus (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe), Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck), Matej Mohoric (Bahrain Victorious), Joshua Tarling (INEOS Grenadiers), Arnaud De Lie (Lotto), Biniam Girmay (Intermarché-Wanty) and Per Strand Hagenes (Visma | Lease a Bike)

TV broadcast Omloop Het Nieuwsblad 2025

On Saturday, the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad can be followed on various channels. On Belgian television, you can tune in to VRT 1 (Sporza) from 04:15 to 05:30 AM EST for the team presentation. After that, they will return at 07:30 AM EST. Eurosport 1 and HBO Max will also be on starting at that hour.

Read also

Vingegaard wins Volta ao Algarve after strong time trial, Van Aert second and Christen out of top 3 overall

Van Aert loses not only Laporte but also Classics talent, Visma | Lease a Bike wraps up UAE Tour in style

After yet another Algarve incident, Vingegaard and Degenkolb say something needs to change: "Never seen anything like it before"

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