Preview Omloop Het Nieuwsblad 2024 | Powerhouse Visma | Lease a Bike against the underdog

The day is almost here, the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad! Of course, the cycling season has been underway for a while now with great races in Australia, France, Spain, Portugal, Italy, and the Middle East, among others, but for some cycling enthusiasts, it only really begins with D'n Omloop. IDLProCycling.com considers it!

The Omloop traditionally kicks off the classics season, and it will be no different in 2024. It's the first major appointment, although we should mention that more and more top riders are choosing to skip the race. So we won't see Mathieu van der Poel, Mads Pedersen, and Tadej Pogacar, among others, in action, but of course, there are still plenty of contenders.

At least the winners of the last two editions will be there. Wout van Aert managed to win the race in 2022 and is back after a year's absence, while Dylan van Baarle, as the defending champion, is also back in the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad. They are part of a strong Visma | Lease a Bike lineup, although, of course, there are still plenty of challengers on the coast.

Practical information Omloop Het Nieuwsblad 2024

• Saturday, Feb. 24, 2024
• Participants 
• Classification: WorldTour
  

In this article

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

Latest winners Omloop Het Nieuwsblad 

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 for Omloop Het Nieuwsblad 2024

This year's Omloop Het Nieuwsblad spans a total length of 202.2 kilometers, which is five kilometers shorter than last year. There are no other notable changes, allowing us to anticipate the classic Omloop scenario in terms of the likely crucial points.

After the team presentation at 't Kuipke in Ghent, the riders mount their steel steeds for the grueling tour through Flanders. At the 36-kilometer mark, the first cobbled section, the Haaghoek, appears, followed shortly after by the Leberg, the first climb. Typically, by this point, a breakaway group has already formed, and the major teams have positioned a rider at the head of the peloton.

Halfway through the course, we enter the Flemish Ardennes, encountering the Katteberg, Leberg, Hostellerie, and Valkenburg in succession. Around fifty kilometers from the finish, the Wolvenberg often serves as the launchpad for the finale, especially as it lies between the cobbled sections of Holleweg and Kerkgate/Jagerij, coinciding with the final phase of the race.

Next up is the combination of Leberg, Berendries, and Vossenhol, which leads into the last cobbled section: the Haaghoek. Following the Vossenhol, there's a ten-kilometer respite before the most famous climb of all emerges: the Kapelmuur in Geraardsbergen, a staple in the Tour of Flanders finale for many years, alongside the Bosberg.

After cresting the Bosberg, there are twelve more swift kilometers towards Ninove, with the wind typically at the riders' backs. This usually favors attackers, promising an exciting and dynamic race!

Climbs
39.4 km: Leberg (950 meters at 4.2%)
103.6 km: Katteberg (740 meters at 8.4%)
113.2 km: Leberg (950 meters at 4.2%)
130.2 km: Hostellerie (1300 meters at 4.0%)
138.1 km: Valkenberg (540 meters at 8.1%)
148.6 km: Wolvenberg (645 meters at 7.9%)
161.0 km: Molenberg (500 meters at 6.7%)
168.5 km: Leberg (950 meters at 4.2%)
172.6 km: Berendries (940 meters at 7.0%)
175.1 km: Vossenhol (1270 meters at 3.6%)
186.5 km: Muur van Geraadsbergen (1100 meters at 7.6%)
190.4 km: Bosberg (980 meters at 5.8%)

Cobblestone lanes
36.4 km: Haaghoek (2000 meters)
88.1 km: Lange Munte (1800 meters)
104.4 km: Holleweg (1500 meters)
110.1 km: Haaghoek (2000 meters)
119.3 km: Paddestraat (2300 meters)
146.0 km: Holleweg (1500 meters)
152.2 km: Kerkgate (2500 meters)
154.8 km: Jagerij (800 meters)
165.5 km: Haaghoek (2000 meters)

Weather
Ahead of the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, rain is possible, but for now, it seems to be staying dry on the day. Saturday's temperatures are expected to reach 7 degrees Celsius, with a moderate southwest wind. This indicates that there will be a headwind in the finale.

Times
Start: 11 a.m.
Finish: approximately 4 p.m.

Favorites Omloop Het Nieuwsblad 2024

If there is one team that will be closely watched, it's Visma | Lease a Bike. Wout van Aert, Christophe Laporte, Tiesj Benoot, Dylan van Baarle, Matteo Jorgenson, Jan Tratnik, and Edoardo Affini form a rock-solid lineup of seven riders. Resisting the strength of this Dutch formation will be quite a challenge.

Van Aert is undoubtedly the rider all of Belgium is counting on, but with defending champion Van Baarle and European champion Laporte, there are also two (or three, if you count Jorgenson) solid contenders hailing from Tenerife. Tratnik has already secured podium finishes in all three races he's participated in this year, while Benoot returned from Algarve nursing an injury. Affini is expected to be the powerhouse in the early stages of the race.

So, which competitors are worth keeping an eye on? Lotto-Dstny and Alpecin-Deceuninck are banking on their equally strong and fast riders Arnaud De Lie and Jasper Philipsen, who are formidable opponents in any race. De Lie will have Victor Campenaerts and Jasper De Buyst providing support, while Philipsen, in the absence of Van der Poel, will rely on the likes of Gianni Vermeersch and Quinten Hermans.

Other notable contenders include Jasper Stuyven, who knows what it takes to win the Omloop, having claimed victory back in 2020. Despite Mads Pedersen's absence from Lidl-Trek this weekend, riders like Toms Skujins and the dependable Jonathan Milan shouldn't be underestimated. Matej Mohoric, representing Bahrain Victorious alongside talents like Fred Wright, is another strong contender, with promising performances in Valencia suggesting a potential victory, similar to Stuyven and Stefan Küng (Groupama-FDJ), who impressed in Algarve.

Soudal Quick-Step may have lost some members of The Wolfpack, but they can still field a highly competitive squad. With Kasper Asgreen, Julian Alaphilippe, Gianni Moscon, Casper Pedersen, and Yves Lampart, up to five riders from the team could be contending in the opener of the classics season.

UAE-Team Emirates is relying on the duo of Nils Politt and Tim Wellens, while also hoping that former Under-23 World Champion Filippo Baroncini will fulfill his potential. INEOS Grenadiers will feature Tom Pidcock, who will focus his cobbled campaign on this Omloop, alongside Ben Turner. EF Education-EasyPost boasts Alberto Bettiol, Mikkel Honoré, and Stefan Bissegger among their lineup.

Intermarché-Wanty pins their hopes on Biniam Girmay, while still having riders like Mike Teunissen, Hugo Page, and Laurenz Rex who could spring positive surprises. Arkéa - B&B Hotels (Florian Sénéchal and Luca Mozzato), Astana Qazaqstan Team (Alexey Lutsenko, Cees Bol, and Ide Schelling), BORA-hansgrohe (Bob Jungels and Jordi Meeus), Cofidis (Axel Zingle), Decathlon AG2R (Oliver Naesen), Movistar (in-form Oier Lazkano and Iván Garcia Cortina), Israel-Premier Tech (Dylan Teuns, Riley Sheehan, Ethan Vernon, and Tom Van Asbroek), Tudor (Matteo Trentin), and Uno-X (Rasmus Tiller, Alexander Kristoff, and Soren Waerenskjold) are all in a similar position.

According to IDLProCycling.com who are the favorites for the 2024 Omloop Het Nieuwsblad?

Top favorites: Wout van Aert and Christophe Laporte (both Visma | Lease a Bike)
Outsiders:Arnaud De Lie (Lotto-Dstny), Matej Mohoric (Bahrain Victorious), Jasper Stuyven (Lidl-Trek) and Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck)
Long shots: Jan Tratnik, Dylan van Baarle (Visma | Lease a Bike), Tim Wellens (UAE-Team Emirates), Stefan Küng (Groupama-FDJ), Kasper Asgreen (Soudal Quick-Step), Tom Pidcock (INEOS Grenadiers), Biniam Girmay (Intermarché-Wanty) and Alberto Bettiol (EF Education-EasyPost)

TV Omloop Het Nieuwsblad 2024

The Omloop Het Nieuwsblad can of course be followed on Saturday via several channels: on Belgian television, you can tune in from 1:30 p.m. on VRT 1 (Sporza) and the Walloon channel La Une, while for the Dutch, Eurosport 1 and the online channels are on standby at the same hour.