Van der Poel and Vollering Dominate at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad

The 2026 Omloop Het Nieuwsblad saw Dutch riders Mathieu van der Poel and Demi Vollering claim victory in the men’s and women’s races, respectively, marking the start of the ‘cobbled classics’ season.

Men’s Race: Van der Poel’s Debut Victory

Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Premier Tech) secured his first Omloop Het Nieuwsblad title, breaking away from a breakaway group on a cobbled climb with 16km remaining of the 207.2km race in Belgium. He finished 22 seconds ahead of his competitors. Source

In rainy conditions, Tim van Dijke (Red Bull Bora-Hansgrohe) finished second, outsprinting Florian Vermeersch of Belgium for third place. Source This victory comes after Van der Poel recently achieved a record eighth world cyclo-cross title at Hulst in the Netherlands. Source

Great Britain’s Tom Pidcock finished two minutes and nine seconds behind the winner. Source Van der Poel skillfully avoided a crash on a narrow cobbled climb, unclipped and putting his foot down to maintain his momentum, a pivotal moment in the race. Source He finished the race in 4hr 53min 55sec. Source

Women’s Race: Vollering Secures First Omloop Het Nieuwsblad Title

Demi Vollering (FDJ United-Suez) won the women’s race, beating Poland’s Kasia Niewiadoma (Canyon/Sram Zondacrypto) in a two-way sprint finish. Source It was Vollering’s first victory in the event, adding to her previous wins at the 2023 Tour de France Femmes and two Vuelta Femenina titles. Source

Lorena Wiebes of the Netherlands finished third in the 137km race, while Great Britain’s Cat Ferguson was fourth and Millie Couzens eighth. Source Vollering expressed pride in achieving her expectations. Source

Race Details

The men’s race covered 207km with 12 hills and eight cobbled sections, incorporating much of the route used in the Tour of Flanders. Source The women’s race was 137km long. Source