Organisers and sponsor Maes Pils offer 'open bar' for one hour in Gent 't Kuipke velodrome ahead of women's race start
Kasia Niewiadoma greets fans in t 'Kuipke velodrome at the team presentation of the 2024 Omloop Het Nieuwsblad(Image credit: Getty Images)
This weekend marks the 20th edition of the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad Women race and to celebrate, race organiser Flanders Classics will offer free beer in an 'open bar' Happy Hour during the women's sign-on and presentation.
The team presentation is held inside the famous 't Kuipke velodrome in Gent, with DJ pumping out Belgian electronic dance music under disco lights. There is a party atmosphere despite the Saturday morning time slot and Flanders Classics have done a deal with Belgian beer brand Maes Pils for the 'Happy Hour' during the women's team presentation in 't Kuipke between 11:30 to 12:30.
"We are celebrating a jubilee," Flanders Classics CEO Van Den Spiegel said.
"With our 'Closing The Gap' project, we have been backing women's cycling in recent years, together with our presenting partner, women KPMG and all our other partners.
"So, we are delighted to raise a glass to toast the development of the women's race, and there is no better time to do so than at the 20th edition of the 'opening Classic'."
Maes will also mark the landmark edition by releasing limited edition artwork on its beer cans as well as a "homage to the sport of cycling", in the form of a limited-edition drinking glass.
Racing for the 20th edition of the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad Women will get underway at 13:20 local time in Gent, some two hours after the men depart from the same location for their 197km race. The women's race is scheduled to finish an hour after the men's race.
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Saturday's race has attracted a host of big-name rider of the women's peloton for the 138km race from Gent to Ninove.
They include Demi Vollering (FDJ-Suez), Lorena Wiebes (SD Worx-Protime), Kasia Niewiadoma (Canyon-Sram Zondacrypto), Pfeiffer Georgi (Picnic-PostNL), and Elisa Balsamo (Lidl-Trek).
After starting in the 't Kuipke velodrome in Gent, the women take on eight cobbled sectors and eight classified hills along the way – including the Wolvenberg, Moleberg, Leberg, Muur van Geraardsbergen, and Bosberg – before finishing in Ninove.
A view of the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad Women 2024 team presentation inside 't Kuipke velodrome, Gent (Image credit: Flanders Classics)
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Dani Ostanek is Senior News Writer at Cyclingnews, having joined in 2017 as a freelance contributor and later being hired full-time. Before joining the team, she had written for numerous major publications in the cycling world, including CyclingWeekly and Rouleur. She writes and edits at Cyclingnews as well as running newsletter, social media, and how to watch campaigns.
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