Good news for puncheurs? Omloop Het Nieuwsblad finale partly revamped

The racing season is already underway, but in just over a month, the Flemish cycling spring classic Omloop Het Nieuwsblad will kick off. On Wednesday, the organizers announced which teams will participate and also unveiled the slightly altered course.

As usual, Omloop Het Nieuwsblad will start from the ’t Kuipke velodrome in Ghent, before heading towards the Flemish Ardennes, where the race will explode. The women will cover 137 kilometers towards Elisabethlaan in Ninove, while the men will complete 207 kilometers.

The race organization sticks to the well-known climbs this year but has tweaked the route. The finale is expected to ignite again about 45 kilometers from the finish, with the sequence of Molenberg, Haaghoek, and Berendries. The Leberg has been removed from the course.

Challenging Parikeberg 
After the ascent of Berendries, it’s normally time for Elverenberg and Vossenhol, but this year the organizers opt for the Tenbosse-Parikeberg combination. Especially the cobbled Parikeberg is a tough, leg-sapping climb, with gradients reaching up to 12%.

It might be the perfect moment for the puncheurs to launch an attack, building momentum towards the two key decisive sections: the famous Muur van Geraardsbergen and the Bosberg. The summit of the latter climb traditionally lies about ten kilometers from the finish, potentially giving sprinters a chance to regroup for a possible final sprint.