OPENING137.2 km from Ghent to Ninove over the cobbled hills of the Vlaamse Ardennen. After the neutral roll-out from Ghent the racing was aggressive immediately. An early four-rider move went up the road but was kept on a short leash by SD Worx-Protime in the crosswinds. Once it was reeled in, Elise Chabbey (FDJ United - SUEZ) lit a counter that formed the day's main break alongside Eleonora Gasparrini, Nina Berton and a young Norwegian rider; the WorldTeams allowed it only 30 seconds to a minute, never letting it threaten to decide the race.
UNFOLDSTension built through the middle hours as the bunch headed towards the closing climbs. With around 23 km to go, in the run towards the Muur/Bosberg sequence, a big crash split the peloton and delayed several contenders, scattering the field just as the race approached the decisive cobbles. Most of the principal classics favourites, Vollering and Niewiadoma among them, stayed safe at the front.
DECIDEDThe race was settled on the Muur van Geraardsbergen. FDJ United - SUEZ massed at the front and German champion Franziska Koch drove a ferocious tempo up the steep cobbles that decimated the bunch and mopped up the last of the break. As the Muur steepened, only a handful held the pace; Niewiadoma climbed superbly and over the top she and Vollering emerged together as a leading duo, two former Tour de France Femmes winners clear of a shattered field.
FINALEOver the Bosberg and across the run-in to Ninove the pair cooperated, holding their advantage over a reduced chase group as no organised pursuit came together. In the two-up sprint reigning European champion Vollering was clearly the faster, taking her first Omloop Het Nieuwsblad. Twenty-one seconds back, Dutch champion Lorena Wiebes won the sprint of the chasers for third, with Cat Ferguson and Koch next across the line.