Demi Vollering Beats Kasia Niewiadoma in Omloop Het Nieuwsblad 2026

Demi Vollering has won the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad for the first time in her career.

On the slopes of the Molenberg, Muur van Geraardsbergen, and Bosberg, cycling fans once again packed the roads for the 'start' of the racing season with Omloop Het Nieuwsblad. Not only the men took to the road on Saturday—women also got to test themselves on the many famous cobbled sections and climbs.

Picking a top favorite beforehand was not so straightforward, as the field included a very strong SD Worx-Proteam squad (with Lotte Kopecky, Lorena Wiebes, Anna van der Breggen, and Mischa Bredewold), alongside Demi Vollering, Katarzyna Niewiadoma, and Liane Lippert among others.

The breakaway of the day formed quickly, with Lea Lin Teutenberg (Lotto Intermarché Ladies), Britt de Grave, Jony van den Eijnden (Citymesh-Customm Pro Cycling Team), and Emilie Fortin (Minimax Cycling Team) gaining some early space. After last year’s sporting disappointment (when breakaways escaped), the peloton stayed alert, keeping the lead to just over a minute.

Interesting move by Chabbey
It was then a matter of waiting for a regrouping, which came as the race entered the final 50 kilometers. However, for four other riders this was the cue to slip away. Nina Berton (EF Education-Oatly), Elise Chabbey (FDJ United-SUEZ), Eleonora Gasparrini (UAE Team ADQ), and Kamilla Aasebo (Uno-X Mobility) decided to anticipate and formed a new lead quartet.

As the race approached the Muur van Geraardsbergen—where the race was expected to explode—the peloton closed in quickly. Nervousness mounted visibly, leading to a massive crash. Around ten riders went down at high speed in the middle of the peloton. Most of the top riders were ahead of the crash, but a few weren’t so fortunate: Zoë Backstedt and Chiara Consonni appeared to be the main victims at first glance.

Vollering pushes on, Niewiadoma follows
Those ahead of the crash were focused on a potential move on the Muur. FDJ United-SUEZ flexed their muscles in the kilometers before the climb, turning up the pace for team leader Vollering. The European champion then launched a strong attack and, together with Niewiadoma, passed the four breakaway riders. There was no sign of the other top riders—including Kopecky.

Vollering and Niewiadoma clearly proved to be the strongest riders in the race. They collaborated impeccably, managing to stay away from a chasing group, in which Van der Breggen fully sacrificed herself for the lightning-fast Wiebes. However, that effort changed nothing: it turned into a two-up sprint between Vollering and Niewiadoma in Ninove.

Photo: Fotopersburo Cor Vos

The quicker Vollering took most of the lead in the final and started the sprint from the front, but proved clearly too strong for her Polish opponent. The Dutch woman won the sprint in a clear fashion, winning the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad for the first time, ahead of Niewiadoma and Wiebes, who won the sprint for third place.