On the 127-kilometre route from Ghent to Ninove, there was a sprint to the finish between four riders: Lotte Kopecky (Team SD Worx), Elisa Longo Borghini (Lidl-Trek), Shirin van Anrooij (Lidl-Trek) and Marianne Vos (Visma | Lease a Bike). Vos had the biggest punch in the direct duel - she came out on top just ahead of Lotte Kopecky and can celebrate at the 2024 classics opener.
Kopecky cannot pull away early on
At Kapelmuur, Lotte Kopecky managed to catch up with soloist Elisa Longo Borghini with 16 kilometres to go and also split up her twelve-strong chasing group. A leading group of four then emerged, consisting of Lotte Kopecky, Longo Borghini, van Anrooij and Vos. Despite a renewed increase in speed on the final climb, the Bosberg, the favourite was unable to pull away from her rivals. Shortly before the finish, it was the two Lidl Trek riders who kept upping the pace and trying their luck. In the end, however, it came down to a sprint, which Vos won ahead of Kopecky. Third place went to Longo Borghini.
It was my debut at Omloop het Nieuwsblad. I gave it my all today and can't believe it was enough to win. I am very happy. - Marianne Vos in the winner interview
Women's Omloop het Nieuwsblad 2024 - Results: The top 10
- Marianne Vos (Visma | Lease a Bike) 3:27:15
- Lotte Kopecky (Team SD Worx - Protime) +0:00
- Elisa Longo Borghini (Lidl-Trek) 0:00
- Shirin van Anrooij (Lidl-Trek) 0:00
- Thalita de Jong (Lotto-Dstny) +1:08
- Demi Vollering (Team SD Worx) +1:08
- Katarzyna Niewiadoma (Canyon//SRAM Racing) +1:08
- Puck Pieterse (Fenix-Deceuninck) +1:08
- Lorena Wiebes (Team SD Worx) +1:53
- Elisa Balsamo (Lidl-Trek) +2:08
How the women's Omloop het Nieuwsblad 2024 went
A five-strong lead group formed at the start of the race, consisting of Rotem Gafinovitz (Hess Cycling Team) and Maaike Colje (Arkea-B&B Hotels), among others. Meanwhile, the SD Worx - Protime team, among others, took care of the chase, keeping the breakaway within reach at all times. However, there were repeated crashes in the peloton - the race was bumpy throughout.
Longo Borghini tries it as a soloist
With 30 kilometres to go, it was Elisa Longo Borghini who attacked out of the peloton. She not only caught up with the breakaway riders, but also overtook them a short time later. As a result, the favourites around Lotte Kopecky, Katarzyna Niewiadoma, Demi Vollering and Marianne Vos caught up with the breakaway.
With 16 kilometres to go, the top favourite Lotte Kopecky stepped up the pace at Kapelmuur and initiated the finale: As a result, the leading Italian was caught and together with Kopecky, Vos and van Anrooij was now in the lead. The chasing group was also prominent, including Vollering and Niewiadoma, but they were no longer able to intervene in the decision.
Vos with the biggest punch in the final sprint
On the final climb, the Bosberg, Kopecky stepped up the pace again, but her fellow riders were able to follow her. After several breakaway attempts by the two Lidl-Trek riders on the flat, which were unsuccessful, it came down to the final sprint. Marianne Vos made a spirited start and opened the final sprint. None of her three rivals were able to counter her attack decisively, meaning that Vos won ahead of Kopecky and Longo Borghini.
