Omloop het Nieuwsblad: Victories for Mathieu van der Poel and Demi Woellering

Mathieu van der Poel took victory in the men’s Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, while fellow Dutchman Demi Vollering was the women’s winner in an event that marked the start of the ‘cobbled classics’ season.

Van der Poel (Alpecin-Premier Tech) was making his race debut and pulled away from a breakaway on a cobblestone climb just over 16km into the 207.2km course, showing his legs to stay in front and win by 22 seconds in Belgium.

In rainy conditions, Dutchman Tim van Dijk (Red Bull Bora-Hansgrohe) finished second after beating Belgian Florian Vermeersch, who finished third.

Van der Poel recently set a new record as he won his eighth cyclocross title in Holst in the Netherlands.

In Saturday’s race, Briton Tom Pidcock was two minutes and nine minutes behind the winner.

In the women’s race, Fullering (FDJ United-Suez) beat Polish rider Kasia Niwiadoma (Canyon/Sram Zondakrypto) in a two-way sprint down the line.

It was Vollering’s first win in the event and she can add to the victories in the 2023 women’s Tour de France and two wins in the Vuelta Femenina.

“It was my own expectation that I would do this, but doing this makes me proud,” Fullering said.

The Dutchman, Lorena Whipps, ranked third in the 137-kilometre race, while the British Cat Ferguson came in fourth place and her compatriot Millie Cousins ​​came in eighth place.