Anna van der Breggen celebrated a solo victory at 2021 Omloop Het Nieuwsblad on February 27 in Ninove, Belgium. Danish national champion Emma Cecile Norsgaard of Movistar took the sprint from the reduced bunch with van der Breggen’s SD Worx teammate, Amy Pieters, rounding off the podium in third.
"I'm really happy, of course, because it's the best way to start the season," Van der Breggen said in a post-race interview. "Especially when the team is riding like this, it gives a lot of confidence for the upcoming races, and also for the rest of the season."
The Spring Classics kicks off annually at opening weekend with Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, which will took place on February 27 this year. The women race 126km between Gent and the finish in Ninove.
The 126km route started in Gent and included five cobbled sectors and ten climbs, three of which were cobbled; the Molenberg and the final two ascents over the Muur-Kapelmuur (17km to go) and the Bosberg (13km to go) before the finish in Ninove.
Organisers announced the 24 teams that have been invited to participate in the 16th edition of Omloop Het Nieuwsblad Elite Women, including nine Women's WorldTeams and 15 Women's Continental Teams.
Read the full preview for the 2021 Omloop Het Nieuwsblad Elite Women, and the full race results, report and gallery.
