Van Aert? Philipsen? No, powerful Uno-X Norwegian shocks Omloop Het Nieuwsblad with stunning sprint

Søren Wærenskjold has pulled off a surprise victory in the 80th edition of Omloop Het Nieuwsblad. In an unusually controlled race, the key climbs saw only minor attacks, resulting in a sprint finish in Ninove. Wærenskjold, riding for Uno-X, powered to victory on the uphill dash, beating Paul Magnier (Soudal-Quick Step) and Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck) in an impressive final burst.

The 197-kilometer route from Ghent to Ninove traditionally marks the start of the classics season. Riders set off early, as the organizers scheduled a later finish to allow prime TV coverage for the women's race. By 11:00 AM, the peloton was rolling, ready for the first real test of the spring campaign.

A breakaway of seven riders animated the early hours of the race. Enzo Leijnse (Picnic-PostNL), Elmar Reinders (Jayco-AlUla), Victor Vercouille (Team Flanders-Baloise), Hartthijs de Vries (Unibet Tietema Rockets), and Julius van den Berg (Picnic-PostNL) initially broke clear, soon joined by Siebe Deweirdt (Flanders-Baloise) and Giosuè Epis (Arkéa-B&B Hotels). That meant four Dutch riders were represented in the breakaway.

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UAE Team Emirates-XRG and Visma | Lease a Bike go full gas, De Lie and Pidcock run into trouble

On what is usually a tense race day, the number of crashes was not too bad. The breakaway was allowed a comfortable lead, with the real action beginning 92 kilometers from the finish. On the cobbled sector of Lange Munte, UAE Team Emirates-XRG upped the tempo, but it didn’t cause any immediate damage. After the acceleration, the breakaway still had a lead of 4 minutes and 48 seconds, with the finale yet to truly unfold.

The race turned into a war of attrition, with the main question being: who wouldn’t be able to follow? Arnaud De Lie (Lotto) was the first to run into trouble, forced into a bike change. Tom Pidcock (Q36.5) also faced issues, having to swap shoes, which briefly set him back. With the Eikenberg looming 55 kilometers from the finish, the timing was far from ideal, as Visma | Lease a Bike seized the moment to increase the pace. Attacks followed, but no one managed to escape...

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Narváez and Tarling try their luck, Van Aert caught off guard

After the Eikenberg came the Wolvenberg, with Visma once again dictating the pace. Their effort, led by Per Strand Hagenes and Matteo Jorgenson, inadvertently set the stage for a move by Jhonatan Narváez (UAE) and Joshua Tarling (INEOS)—two riders too dangerous to let go. The peloton quickly reacted, neutralizing the attack, while the breakaway group still held a slim advantage of 1 minute and 30 seconds with 50 kilometers to go.

Would the Molenberg create any major gaps? Alpecin-Deceuninck stepped up, and while the tempo wasn’t off the charts, the cobbled climb still opened some small gaps. Surprisingly, Van Aert and De Lie were caught out... Fortunately for the Belgians, Tiesj Benoot was there to bring them back just before the Berendries climb. But for De Lie, the damage was done—after chasing back twice, he hit the wall. The Lotto leader cracked, dropped, and immediately abandoned the race.

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Flat tire for Tratnik before the Muur, favorites fail to break away

After multiple unsuccessful attacks—mainly from UAE—and with the day’s breakaway caught, the race approached its decisive moment: the Muur van Geraardsbergen. Unfortunately for defending champion Jan Tratnik, a puncture just before the climb ruined his chances. Mathias Vacek took the front on the Muur, but without a significant acceleration, many riders remained in contention. This time, Van Aert was alert and positioned well.

With the race still very much under control all the way to the Muur, the sprinters started rubbing their hands together. Philipsen looked especially strong for Alpecin-Deceuninck, but several teams were determined to avoid a sprint. With 15 kilometers to go, Jorgenson launched an attack from the front group that had survived over the Muur. This forced the chasing group to respond, catching up just before the Bosberg. Would anything decisive happen here?

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Tactical chess match after the Bosberg—Sprint or late attack in Omloop?

Just as on the Muur, Vacek set a strong but steady pace on the Bosberg, preventing any major splits. With a headwind in the final ten kilometers, attacking riders faced an uphill battle. But that didn’t stop those without a sprint in their legs from trying. Stefan Küng (Groupama-FDJ) launched a perfectly timed attack, quickly gaining a 17-second lead over the chasing peloton of about fifty riders.

Could he hold on? Visma | Lease a Bike took control in the final five kilometers, with Benoot and Jorgenson working for Van Aert, while Philipsen had Gianni Vermeersch, and Soudal-Quick Step pulled for Paul Magnier. The race was finally coming to life—sprint or no sprint? Küng was heartbreakingly caught with just 1.3 kilometers to go, leaving little time to set up a proper sprint. INEOS Grenadiers led the charge, all eyes were on Van Aert and Philipsen, but suddenly, from the right, Søren Wærenskjold powered through with incredible speed. The Norwegian stunned the field, holding off Magnier and Philipsen to take a remarkable victory.

Results Omloop Het Nieuwsblad 2025 - elite men

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