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Omloop Het Nieuwsblad Elite 2017

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Spring has sprung. Omloop Het Nieuwsblad is perhaps the closest thing cycling has to baseball's Opening Day, as the peloton gathers in Ghent for the first classic of the new season, and the first race of the Belgian cycling year. The start line may no longer be in the evocative Sint-Pietersplein, but the religious overtones remain. The riders are currently being introduced in the great cathedral of Belgian cycling, 't Kuipke velodrome, before taking the start from the Citadelpark. The neutral start is at 11.35 local time, with the bunch due to hit kilometre zero at 11.45.

The route of Omloop is, as ever, a sort of Tour of Flanders lite. The race is more than 50 kilometres shorter than the Ronde, of course, while there are fewer hills in the finale. The last climb, the Molenberg, is some 35 kilometres from the finish, but there are three stiff sections of cobblestones by way of compensation. The running order is as follows:

The bunch has rolled away from the start in Ghent and is making its way gently towards kilometre zero. The temperature is a chilly 6 degrees Celsius, and jackets and gloves are the order of the day, but, for now at least, the day is dry.

The women's Omloop Het Nieuwsblad is also taking place today. The race got underway twenty minutes ago in Blaarmeersen, Ghent, and is due to finish in the Citadel Park in the early afternoon.

 The women's Omloop Het Nieuwsblad is also taking place today. The race got underway twenty minutes ago in Blaarmeersen, Ghent, and is finishes in the Citadel Park in the early afternoon.

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An early abandon to report. Viacheslav Kuznetsov (Katusha), a surprise third place finisher at Gent-Wevelgem last season, has packed inside the opening ten kilometres. Incidentally, on he day after that Gent-Wevelgem podium, we caught up with the affable Russian, who hails from Tolyatti, home of the Lada car, and you can read the interview here.

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Disc brakes have been the source of much controversy in Abu Dhabi this week, but Tom Boonen remains a devotee of the technology. While his Quick-Step Floors teammate Marcel Kittel has suspended his use of disc brakes for the time being, Boonen lined up at the start in Ghent with his disc braking system. His Specialized Venge features a custom paint job to celebrate his career, and you can see a gallery here.

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Bagdonas and Jules extend their lead to 1:30 over the Tenbosse, while Leigh Howard (Aqua Blue) and Preben Van Hecke (Topsport Vlaanderen-Baloise) give chase ahead of the main peloton.

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Team Sky has two time champion Ian Stannard in their line-up along with Luke Rowe, and have high ambitions for today’s finish, writes Sadhbh O'Shea. Directeur sportif Servais Knaven finished on the podium of the race back in 2000 and was in a confident mood ahead of the start.

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Some details of today's summit finish at Abu Dhabi Tour are available here, with a full report to follow in due course. 

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And with that, another minute has been knocked off the break's lead. Boivin, quite sensibly, has knocked off his own, lone chase effort, and has dropped back into the peloton, which now trails the leaders by 6:25.

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The peloton duly splinters on the Haaghoek, though it appears none of the principal contenders have been caught out.

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Zak Dempster (Israel Cycling Academy) has crashed and it looks as though the Australian's race is over.

Zico Waeytens (Sunweb) is another rider who has gone off the road in the front of the peloton, though the Belgian has climbed out of the ditch and is giving chase.

The six leaders are over the Kaperij, the day's seventh climb. Andriy Grivko (Astana), Thomas Boudat (Direct Energie) and Alexis Gougeard (Ag2r La Mondiale) have attacked off the front of the bunch and are giving chase. This trio is 4:16 down on the break, with the bunch 5:24 down.

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Onto the Kruisberg for Bagdonas, Van Goethem, Jules, Teunissen, Howard and Van Hecke, 5:18 the margin.

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Alexander Kristoff (Katusha) also went down in that crash, which occurred very close to the front of the bunch. Boonen has received a bike change and is giving chase. Only 25 riders or so avoided getting caught up in or caught behind that crash, so it will be fascinating to see if Boonen manages to bridge back up.

The bunch is broken into shards as riders give chase in ones and twos. Boonen latches onto a group featuring three Katusha riders as he approaches the foot of the Taaienberg. 

Trek-Segafredo are upping the pace at the head of the bunch ahead of the Taaienberg, eager to ensure there's no way back for Boonen, Kristoff and the others caught behind. The break is now just 2:44 ahead, having shown signs of weakening on the Taaienberg.

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Over the top of the Taaienberg, Van Avermaet, Sagan, Vanmarcke and Stuyven exchange turns at the front of a very strung out bunch. Indeed, by the base of this descent, we could have an elite group of ten riders or so. They are 2:08 down on the fragmenting leading group.

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Leigh Howard, incidentally, was dropped by the early break somewhere between the Taaienberg and the Wolvenberg. The five leaders are struggling now, while Sagan has finally hit upon some allies in the second group, with Vanmarcke putting his shoulder to the wheel to help.

Team Sky are attempting to marshal a chase in the sizeable third group, and Jasper Stuyven seems willing to contribute. When only Sagan was working ahead, they had every chance of - eventually - latching back on, but with Vanmarcke et al now seemingly committed to the pace-making, it might be a rather stiffer task. 

Despite enduring two crashes this afternoon, Boonen remains in the race, but he is in the fourth group on the road and will end his career without winning Omloop Het Nieuwsblad.

The Sagan group has shed Boudat and Grivko, and they are are about to catch the five leaders. The Sky group, which Sporza is swelling into a peloton, is now 43 seconds back.

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Sagan is briefly distanced by the leading group when he absent-mindedly rides onto the grass verge, but he is quickly back up to speed. The first pedal stroke the world champion has put askew all afternoon long.

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Lucinda Brand (Team Sunweb) has won the women's Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, soloing to victory in Ghent ahead of Chantal Blaak and Annemiek van Vleuten. A report will follow here.

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Vanmarcke and Van Avermaet open a small gap, but Sagan is live to the danger and bridges across. 

And then were five. Sagan, Van Avermaet, Vanmarcke, Teunissen and Jules remain in front after the Molenberg.

In the main bunch, Zdenek Stybar (Quick-Step Floors) jumps ahead on the Molenberg and his effort brings fewer than ten riders clear in pursuit of the Sagan group.

We understand that Tom Boonen has abandoned the race, though we await official confirmation. 

Vanmarcke impressed on the Molenberg, and though he would hardly be expected to beat Van Avermaet or Sagan in an eventual sprint finish (and we're still a long way off), he did out-sprint Boonen to win this very race five years ago. "I’m not nervous. I’m relaxed and happy to be here," he said before the start. "To win here you need some luck. I’m targeting the monuments. If today doesn’t go well then that’s not abnormal. This race was always a great race but due to the WorldTour story it’s been cast in the shadow; that’s over now."

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And then there were three.... Vanmarcke, Van Avermaet and Sagan form a very elite front group after the Paddestraat. The Stybar-Stannard chase group is at 32 seconds and struggling to gather any momentum.

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Matteo Trentin and Zdenek Stybar take up the reins in the 15-strong chasing group, but they're not making much inroads into the Sagan group's lead.

Van Avermaet dropped a bottle on the cobbles but manages to pick up a fresh one - and a gel - as he comes off that sector. That could be a crucial detail. The Olympic champion, incidentally, has yet to force the pace like Sagan and Vanmarcke, but he looks relatively comfortable.

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Sagan's face betrays signs of suffering for the first time as he flicks an elbow and asks Van Avermaet to come through at the end of the Lange Munte.

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Van Avermaet leads the break into the final 5 kilometres as the tension ratchets upwards. 

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Sagan slows the pace on the front, and, predictably, neither Van Avermaet or Vanmarcke is mind to come past him. A tense, three-up sprint awaits.

Vanmarcke comes past Sagan to open the sprint from distance, but Van Avermaet comes around him...

Sagan tries to get back on terms, but he won't make it...

Greg Van Avermaet (BMC) wins Omloop Het Nieuwsblad ahead of Peter Sagan (Bora-Hansgrohe). Sep Vanmarcke (Cannondale-Drapac) takes third.

Sagan lost a length to Van Avermaet as the finishing straight curved right and never made up the ground. Olympic champion Van Avermaet takes his second successive Omloop Het Nieuwsblad win, and will start to feel that he might just have Sagan's number. That said, the world champion was impressive in forcing the winning move and will probably not be unduly disappointed with how his afternoon panned out.

Fabio Felline (Trek-Segafredo) clipped away to take fourth place ahead of Oscar Gatto (Astana), Luke Rowe (Sky) and Oliver Naesen (Ag2r La Mondiale).

Greg Van Avermaet (BMC) describes his thoughts at claiming a second straight win at Omloop. “It’s an amazing feeling. Last year I started my year with a big victory. It’s always nice to come back and win your first race on home ground. For me it’s the perfect start of the season," Van Avermaet says. Inevitably, he is asked if this augurs well for the Tour of Flanders, where he has some unfinished business. "Hopefully, it’s my biggest goal, but it will be a hard race," Van Avermaet says.

Brief Results
# Rider Name (Country) Team Result 1 Greg Van Avermaet (Bel) BMC Racing     2 Peter Sagan (Svk) Bora-Hansgrohe     3 Sep Vanmarcke (Bel) Cannondale-Drapac     4 Fabio Felline (Ita) Trek-Segafredo     5 Oscar Gatto (Ita) Astana     6 Luke Rowe (GBr) Team Sky     7 Oliver Naesen (Bel) AG2R La Mondiale     8 Jasper Stuyven (Bel) Trek-Segafredo     9 Matteo Trentin (Ita) Quick-Step Floors     10 Adrien Petit (Fra) Direct Energie    

Result:

Our man in Flanders Brecht Decaluwe has some interesting news from the Trek-Segafredo team bus. Directeur sportif Dirk Demol is seeking out the commissaires to query the result. He said that riders were warned they would be excluded if they went off the road to ride on the pavement, rather than riding across the cobbles. According to Demol, while his team, including fourth-placed Fabio Felline, adhered rigorously to the directive, the three leaders did not... Demol is reportedly going to inquiry whether the race jury will revise the result accordingly... Watch this space...

Elsewhere, not for the first time, it was a disappointing Omloop Het Nieuwsblad for Quick-Step Floors. Matteo Trentin (9th) was their highest finisher after Boonen was forced out by two crashes. We expect Boonen will be fit enough to race Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne tomorrow. Both Quick-Step and Boonen have made a habit of bouncing back in the second instalment of the Opening Weekend.

Lotto Soudal manager Marc Sergeant has also complained to the UCI about riders using pavement rather than riding on cobbles, but the commissaires has deemed that Van Avermaet et al covered the route in full, and have ruled that there will be no change to the result. Van Avermaet is confirmed as the winner of Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, though the polemic will doubtless rumble on.

Result:

 

Thanks for following our live coverage of Omloop Het Nieuwsblad this afternoon. A full report, results and pictures will follow here, while Brecht Decaluwe and Sadhbh O'Shea will have all the news and reaction from Ghent, including word on the polemic surrounding riders using the pavement to avoid racing across the cobbles. We'll be back with more live coverage on Cyclingnews tomorrow from Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne and the final stage of the Abu Dhabi Tour.

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