Omloop Het Nieuwsblad is the first proper Classic of the year and for many purists marks the true start of the cycling season. Formerly run under the guises of the Omloop van Vlaanderen and Omloop Het Volk, the one-day race will open the proper cobbled campaign on a route that visits the Belgian staples of the Haaghoek, Leberg and the Muur Van Geraardsbergen.
Last year, Jan Tratnik broke from the pack to claim a first WorldTour Classic win after defeating Nils Politt in a two-up sprint. The women’s race was a real humdinger as Lotte Kopecky, Marianne Vos and Elisa Longo Borghini went head-to-head on the cobbles. In the end, Vos outmuscled the world champion on home turf to take her first victory of the 2024 season.
In 2025, Omloop Het Nieuwsblad will see the first litmus test for the Classics contenders’ form. Demi Vollering will make her Classics debut for FDJ-Suez while Wout van Aert will open a Classics campaign he hopes is less tarnished than the previous year’s. Alongside them, Lorena Wiebes, Kasia Niewiadoma, Biniam Girmay and Jasper Philipsen are among those expected to compete for the first major Classic title of 2025.
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Omloop Het Nieuwsblad 2025: Key information
- Date: Saturday 1st March 2025
- Start: Ghent, Flanders
- Finish: Ninove, Flanders
- Distance: Men’s – 194.6km; Women’s – 135.5km
- 2024 Winners: Jan Tratnik (Slovenia), Marianne Vos (Netherlands)
- Climbs: Men’s – Leberg, Kattenberg, Leberg, Hostellerie, Valkenberg, Wolvenberg, Molenberg, Leberg, Berendries, Elverenberg-Vossenhol, Muur-Kapelmuur, Bosberg; Women’s – Edelareberg, Wolvenberg, Molenberg, Leberg, Berendries, Elverenberg-Vossenhol, Muur-Kapelmuur, Bosberg
- UK television coverage: Men’s – Discovery+, Eurosport; Women’s – Discovery+, Eurosport
Omloop Het Nieuwsblad 2025 men’s route
The men’s route has been truncated by around 10km, taking the total length to just under 200km. This makes it the shortest Flemish Classic on the WorldTour schedule.
The route kicks off in the student city of Ghent, right by the city’s velodrome ‘t Kuipke. From there, the race will weave its way around the East Flanders region before confronting the first cobbled sector at the Paddestraat. The first climbs will arrive after 50km, but the real difficulty lies after 100km of racing when the peloton enters a spaghetti-like circuit around Oudenaarde. The bulk of the cobbled sectors and climbs will come in this section of the race, including the Eikenberg, Wolvenberg, Haaghoek and Berendries.
With roughly 30km to go, the riders will leave the circuit behind and head towards Geraardsbergen. There they’ll meet the iconic Kapelmuur. Starting in the town, the cobbled climb spins its way up to a hilltop chapel rooted in Tour of Flanders history. After the Muur, the slopes of the Bosberg provide one last chance to shake up proceedings before the 12km run into Ninove.
Omloop Het Nieuwsblad 2025 women's route
The women's race has increased in length by around 8km and is very similar to that of the men, minus the frantic circuit near Oudenaarde.
It spends the first 70km on relatively flat roads in East Flanders, only passing over the Paddestraat and Lange Munte during the opening half of the profile.
The duo of the Edelareberg and Wolvenberg will disrupt affairs as the road starts to get punchy. This relentless mix of cobbles and short sharp hills will persist until the 25km to go marker. There, the women will follow the men's route and tackle the Kapelmuur and Bosberg before the final sprint to the line – or perhaps solo post-up – in Ninove.
Omloop Het Nieuwsblad 2025 favourites
The men's race will include Wout van Aert, the 2022 champion. The Belgian will be the undisputed favourite, however with bigger races higher up on his priority list, he might not be in the best form yet. That said, his Visma-Lease a Bike squad have won the previous three editions of the men's race.
Elsewhere keep an eye out for Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe, the team of reigning champion Jan Tratnik. The German team will be debuting its rejuvenated fleet of Classics riders after a busy off-season. Their roster includes new signings Oier Lazkano, Tratnik and the Van Dijke twins, all of whom enjoyed a strong 2024 on the cobbles.
The reigning champion on the women's side, Marianne Vos, is expected to pass up the chance to defend her title. Likewise, last year's runner-up Lotte Kopecky will not be on the start line. Instead, Demi Vollering will start as the favourite, understandably after having started her 2025 season in fine form. She's finished inside the top three here before, but never reached the top step of the podium. That said, if it comes down to a sprint, you'd be foolish to bet against Lorena Wiebes, a former teammate of the new FDJ-Suez leader, and a serial winner on the WorldTour level.
Cyclist's men's ratings
- ★★★★★: Wout van Aert (Visma-Lease a Bike)
- ★★★★: Oier Lazkano (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe), Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck), Arnaud De Lie (Lotto), Matej Mohorič (Bahrain Victorious)
- ★★★: Jan Tratnik (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe), Biniam Girmay (Intermarché-Wanty), Madis Mihkels (EF Education-EasyPost)
- ★★: Mathias Vacek (Lidl-Trek), António Morgado (UAE Team Emirates XRG), Nils Politt (UAE Team Emirates XRG)
- ★: Jenthe Biermans (Arkéa-B&B Hotels), Tiesj Benoot (Visma-Lease a Bike), Josh Tarling (Ineos Grenadiers)
Cyclist's women's ratings
- ★★★★★: Demi Vollering (FDJ-Suez)
- ★★★★: Lorena Wiebes (SD Worx-Protime), Puck Pieterse (Fenix-Deceuninck), Marlen Reusser (Movistar)
- ★★★: Kasia Niewiadoma (Canyon-SRAM-Zondacrypto), Pfeiffer Georgi (Picnic-PostNL)
- ★★: Chiara Consonni (Canyon-SRAM-Zondacrypto), Amber Kraak (FDJ-Suez), Mischa Bredewold (SD Worx-Protime)
- ★: Emma Norsgaard (Lidl-Trek), Liane Lippert (Movistar), Maria Giulia Confalonieri (Uno X)
Omloop Het Nieuwsblad 2025: How to watch
In the UK and Ireland, Omloop Het Nieuwsblad will be broadcast on TV via TNT Sports. The men's race will be aired first on TNT Sports 2 from 1pm. Afterwards, the broadcast of the women's race will kick off, starting at approximately 4pm also on TNT Sports 2. Discovery+ is still the streaming platform required for online viewing. However, you would have needed to renew your subscription given the price increase that comes into force this week.
In the US and Canada, both the men's and women's races will be aired through FloBikes.
If Omloop isn't being broadcast in your country, or you are travelling abroad and want to log in to your Discovery account to watch it, a VPN will allow you to hide your device's location to access content that is normally geo-blocked. The racing will be free to watch on Belgian network Sporza.
One such VPN provider is ExpressVPN, which is well reviewed, helps users to find free to watch cycling, and costs start from around £5 per month.
UK TV times
Men's Omloop Het Nieuwsblad:
- Discovery+: 12:00-16:00
- TNT Sports 2: 12:00-16:00
Women's Omloop Het Nieuwsblad:
- Discovery+: 15:00-17:30
- TNT Sports 2: 16:00-17:30
Omloop Het Nieuwsblad 2025 start lists
Data powered by FirstCycling.com
Data powered by FirstCycling.com
