Omloop Het Nieuwsblad 2022: all you need to know

The 2022 cobbled classics begin on Saturday 26 February, with Omloop Het Nieuwsblad in Belgium.

Omloop Het Nieuwsblad forms part of a two-race weekend, known as the 'opening weekend' for the Classics season, with Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne following on the Sunday. 

Organisers Flanders Classics, the same group that runs the Tour of Flanders, promote both men's and women's races, which take place on the same day. Covering over 200km, the men's race starts first, while the women's race finishes the day with a 120km route. 

In a route that is largely unchanged from last, the men this year will face seven cobbled sectors and 13 brutal climbs, including the famous Muur van Geraardsbergen, or Kapelmuur, climb to kick off the northern Europe season in style. 

Expect intense action when the riders hit the Muur with just 17.5km left in the race, with the opportunity for decisive moves to be made. 

Meanwhile, the women will attack nine climbs and face five cobbled sectors, with the Muur also featuring in their race. Riding the same 13.5km finish after the final climb as the men, there is always the possibility for the field to string itself out. 

Wout Van Aert (Jumbo-Visma), Sonny Colbrelli (Bahrain - Victorious), Tom Pidcock (Ineos Grenadiers) and Peter Sagan (TotalEnergies), among others, will all compete at the season opening classic, with more big-name riders expected to join the start list in the coming weeks.

Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl haven't confirmed whether Davide Ballerini will defend his title either, but Jake Stewart (Groupama-FDJ) will look to stand one step higher on the podium at the end of February. 

In 2021, Ballerini's team-mate and world champion Julian Alaphilippe made his Cobbled Classic debut at the race with an attacking display before helping Ballerini to victory.

The 2021 women's race saw the then world champion, and now retired, Anna van der Breggen take the win in a solo move, after Annemiek van Vleuten (Movistar) had won the race in successive years prior to Van der Breggen's triumph.

With the women's peloton containing an eclectic mix of riders, any number of unpredictable outcomes could occur.

Power houses such as legendary rider Marianne Vos (Jumbo-Visma) and Belgian national champion Lotte Kopecky (SD Worx) can come up against diesel engines like Marlen Reusser (SD Worx) and Ellen van Dijk (Trek-Segafredo), while slight climbers like Van Vleuten or Cecile Uttrup Ludwig (FDJ Nouvelle Aquitaine Futuroscope) can also find themselves in the mix. The Trek duo of of Elisa Longo-Borghini and Lizzie Deignan also always present a difficult opponent. 

The race itself is named after the newspaper that sponsors it, Het Nieuwsblad, with Omloop roughly meaning circulation, loop or lap, much like Vuelta or Giro in Spain and Italy.

Omloop Het Nieuwsblad 2022 route

Racing across 204km, the men's race features 13 climbs and seven gruelling cobbled sectors. The women's race traverses 120km, missing off four of the climbs and two of the cobbled sections. 

The Wall of Geraardsbergen and Bosberg are both inside the last 20 kilometres, producing the old finale of the Tour of Flanders for the fifth consecutive year. The route is similar to last year, but two fewer cobbled sections feature in 2022. 

Riders won't face a climb, or 'helling', until 50 kilometres into the race, but after that there will be a hill roughly every 10 kilometres, each one maintaining a gradient of at least four per cent for the competitors to navigate. The Wall of Geraardsbergen is the steepest hill of the day, averaging at 9.3 per cent and climbing to 20 per cent in places, but only lasts for 475 metres, while Hostellerie is the longest at 1,300 metres.

The Wall is in the final stretches of the race too, with Bosberg appearing soon after. The partly cobbled climb is 980 metres long and slopes at 5.8 per cent. After that, riders face a 12.8km run to the finish line in Ninove. 

Omloop Het Nieuwsblad 2022 start list

Men's Elite

AG2R-Citroën Team

Lawrence Naesen (BEL)
Damien Touzé (FRA)
Stan Dewulf (BEL)
Greg Van Avermaet (BEL)
Gijs Van Hoecke (BEL)
Oliver Naesen (BEL)
Michael Schär (SUI)

Astana Qazaqstan 

Alexey Lutsenko (KAZ)
Vincenzo Nibali (ITA)
Yevgeniy Fedorov (KAZ)
Michele Gazzoli (ITA)
Dmitry Gruzdev (KAZ)
Gleb Brussenskiy (KAZ)

Bahrain Victorious

Matej Mohorič (SVN)
Dylan Tenus (BEL)
Sonny Colbrelli (ITA)
Heinrich Haussler (AUS)
Phil Bauhaus (GER)
Fred Wright (GBR)
Jasha Sütterlin (GER)

Bora-Hansgrohe

Ide Schelling (NED)
Jordi Meeus (BEL)
Marco Haller (AUT)
Nils Politt (GER)
Lukas Pöstlberger (AUT)
Patrick Gamper (AUT)
Jonas Koch (GER)

Cofidis

Bryan Coquard (FRA)
Alexis Renard (FRA)
Piet Allegaert (BEL)
Tom Bohli (SUI)
Eddy Finé (FRA)
Wesley Kreder (NED)
Szymon Sajnok (POL)

EF Education-EasyPost

Jens Keukeleire (BEL)
Michael Valgren (DEN)
Jonas Rutsch (GER)
Owain Doull (GBR)
Tom Scully (NZL)
Julius van den Berg (NED)
Łukasz Wiśniowski (POL)

Groupama-FDJ

Tobias Ludvigsson (SWE)
Lewis Askey (GBR)
Jake Stewart (GBR)
Stefan Küng (SUI)
Kevin Geniets (NED)
Olivier Le Gac (FRA)
Fabian Lienhard (SUI)

Ineos Grenadiers

Tom Pidcock (GBR)
Laurens De Plus (BEL)
Magnus Sheffield (USA)
Kim Heiduk (GER)
Ben Swift (GBR)
Jhonatan Narváez (ECU)

Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert Matériaux

Baptiste Planckaert (BEL)
Loïc Vliegen (BEL)
Sven Erik Bystrøm (DEN)
Dimitri Claeys (FRA)
Adrien Petit (BEL)
Aimé De Gendt (BEL)
Andrea Pasqualon (ITA)

Israel Premier Tech

Jenthe Biermans (BEL)
Sep Vanmarcke (BEL)
Tom Van Asbroeck (BEL)
Guillaume Boivin (CAN)
Simon Clarke (AUS)
Reto Hollenstein (SUI)
Hugo Houle (CAN)

Team Jumbo-Visma

Tisej Benoot (BEL)
Tosh Van der Sande (BEL)
Wout Van Aert (BEL)
Nathan Van Hooydonck (BEL)
Christophe Laporte (FRA)
Mike Teunissen (NED)
Pascal Eenkhoorn (NED)

Lotto-Soudal

Philippe Gilbert (BEL)
Tim Wellens (BEL)
Frederik Frison (BEL)
Florian Vermeersch (BEL)
Brent Van Moer (BEL)
Victor Campenaerts (BEL)
Jasper De Buyst (BEL)
Cedric Beullens (BEL)
Sébastien Grignard (BEL)
Harry Sweeny (AUS)

Movistar Team

Johan Jacobs (SUI)
Iván García Cortina (ESP)
Alex Aranburu (ESP)
Iñigo Elosegui (ESP)
Juri Hollmann (GER)
Vinicius Rangel Costa (BRA)

Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl

Kasper Asgreen (DEN)
Yves Lampaert (BEL)
Tim Declerq (BEL)
Florian Sénéchal (FRA)
Zdeněk Štybar (CZE)
Mikkel Frølich Honoré (DEN)
Iljo Keisse (BEL)

Team BikeExchange - Jayco

Luke Durbridge (AUS)
Dion Smith (NZL)
Alexander Konychev (ITA)
Jan Maas (NED)
Callum Scotson (AUS)

Team DSM

John Degenkolb (GER)
Nico Denz (GER)
Nils Eekhoff (NED)
Jonas Iversby Hvideberg (NOR)
Asbjørn Kragh Andersen (DEN)
Kevin Vermaerke (USA)

Trek-Segafredo

Markus Hoelgaard (NOR)
Alex Kirsch (NED)
Edward Thenus (BEL)
Otto Vergaere (BEL)
Jasper Stuyven (BEL)
Toms Skujiņš (LAT)
Daan Hoole (NED)

UAE Team Emirates

Vegard Stake Laengen (DEN)
Ivo Oliveira (POR)
Matteo Trentin (ITA)
Alessandro Covi (ITA)
Ryan Gibbons (RSA)
Juan Sebastian Molano (COL)

Alpecin-Fenix

Xandro Meurisse (BEL)
Tobias Bayer (AUT)
Oscar Riesebeek (NED)
Dries De Bondt (BEL)
Michael Gogl (AUT)
Edward Planckaert (BEL)
Guillaume Van Keirsbulck (BEL)

Team Arkéa-Samsic

Matis Louvel (FRA)
Connor Swift (GBR)
Amaury Capiot (BEL)
Christophe Noppe (BEL)
Benjamin Declercq (BEL)
Markus Pajur (EST)
Clement Russo (FRA)

Team TotalEnergies

Peter Sagan (SVK)
Niki Terpstra (NED)
Daniel Oss (ITA)
Edvald Boasson Hagen (NOR)
Fabien Doubey (FRA)
Geoffrey Soupe (FRA)
Anthony Turgis (FRA)

B&B Hotels - KTM

Jordi Warlop (BEL)
Jérémy Lecroq (FRA)
Cyril Barthe (FRA)
Quentin Jauregui (FRA)
Cyril Lemoine (FRA)
Julien Morice (FRA)
Luca Mozzato (ITA)

Bingoal Pauwels Sauces WB

Ludovic Robeet (BEL)
Arjen Livyns (BEL)
Ceriel Desal (BEL)
Timothy Dupont (BEL)
Laurenz Rex (BEL)
Karl Patrick Lauk (EST)
Stanisław Aniołkowski (POL)

Sport Vlaanderen-Baloise

Arne Marit (BEL)
Jens Reynders (BEL)
Robbe Ghys (BEL)
Sander De Pestel (BEL)
Lindsay De Vylder (BEL)
Kenneth Van Rooy (BEL)
Ward Vanhoof (BEL)

Uno-X Pro Cycling Team

Rasmus Tiller (NOR)
Erik Resell (NOR)
Jonas Abrahamsen (NOR)
Fredrik Dversnes (NOR)
Morten Hulgaard (NOR)
Anders Halland Johannessen (NOR)
Anders Skaarseth (NOR)

Women's Elite

Team SD Worx

Lotte Kopecky (BEL)
Roxane Fournier (FRA)
Elena Cecchini (ITA)
Christine Majerus (NED)
Marlen Reusser (SUI)
Lonneke Uneken (NED)

Cofidis Women Team

Alana Castrique (BEL)
Pernille Mathiesen (DEN)
Gabrielle Pilote Fortin (CAN)
Victorie Berteau (FRA)
Valentine Fortin (FRA)
Martina Alzini (ITA)

Multum Accountants Ladies Cycling Team

Fien Delbaere (BEL)
Sara Maes (BEL)
Mareille Maijering (NED)
Megan Panton (GBR)
Céline van Houtum (NED)
Bente van Teeseling (NED)

Movistar Team

Barbara Guarischi (ITA)
Annemiek van Vleuten (NED)
Alicia González (ESP)
Jelena Erić (SRB)
Sara Martín (ESP)
Aude Biannic (FRA)

Team Jumbo-Visma

Romy Kasper (BEL)
Anna Henderson (GBR)
Teuntje Beekhuis (NED)
Anouska Koster (NED)
Karlijn Swinkels (NED)
Jip van den Bos (NED)

Le Col - Wahoo

Jesse Vandenbulcke (BEL)
Marjolein van 't Geloof (NED)
April Tacey (GBR)
Maike van der Duin (NED)
Elizabeth Holden (GBR)

Bingoal Casino - Chevalmeire - Van Eyck Sport

Lotte Claes (BEL)
Minke Bakker (NED)
Nathalie Bex (BEL)
Danique Braam (NED)
Naomi De Roeck (BEL)
Claudia Jongerius (NED)

Trek-Segafredo

Elisa Balsamo (ITA)
Audrey Cordon-Ragot (FRA)
Chloe Hosking (AUS)
Leah Thomas (USA)
Shirin van Anrooij (NED)
Ellen van Dijk (NED)

Arkéa Pro Cycling Team

Charlotte Becker (GER)
Pauline Allin (FRA)
Lucie Jounier (FRA)
Typhaine Laurance (FRA)
Marie-Morgane Le Deunff (FRA)
Greta Richioud (FRA)

Canyon//SRAM Racing

Shari Bossuyt (BEL)
Katarzyna Niewiadoma (POL)
Tiffany Cromwell (AUS)
Lisa Klein (GER)
Alice Barnes (GBR)
Sarah Roy (AUS)

EF Education-TIBCO-SVB

Elizabeth Banks (GBR)
Letizia Borghesi (ITA)
Kathrin Hammes (GER)
Emily Newsom (USA)
Sara Poidevin (CAN)
Lauren Stephens (USA)

FDJ Nouvelle-Aquitaine Futuroscope

Brodie Chapman (AUS)
Grace Brown (AUS)
Marta Cavalli (ITA)
Eugénie Duval (FRA)
Vittoria Guazzini (ITA)
Maëlle Grossetête (FRA)

Liv Racing Xstra

Valerie Demey (BEL)
Alison Jackson (CAN)
Amber van der Hulst (NED)
Jeanne Korevaar (NED)
Katia Ragusa (ITA)
Quinty Ton (NED)

Team BikeExchange - Jayco

Arianna Fidanza (ITA)
Teniel Campbell (TTO)
Kristen Faulkner (USA)
Georgia Baker (AUS)
Ruby Roseman-Gannon (AUS)
Ane Santesteban (ESP)

Team DSM

Lorena Wiebes (NED)
Franziska Koch (BEL)
Charlotte Kool (NED)
Liane Lippert (BEL)
Floortje Mackaij (NED)
Pfeiffer Georgi (GBR)

UAE Team ADQ

Marta Bastianelli (ITA)
Sofia Bertizzolo (ITA)
Eugenia Bujak (SVN)
Alessia Patuelli (ITA)
Laura Tomasi (ITA)
Maaike Boogaard (NED)

Uno-X Pro Cycling Team

Susanne Andersen (NOR)
Elinor Barker (GBR)
Rebecca Koerner (DEN)
Julie Leth (DEN)
Mie Bjørndal Ottestad (NOR)
Anne Dorthe Ysland (NOR)

Lotto Soudal Ladies

Eefje Brandt (BEL)
Katrijn De Clercq (BEL)
Mieke Docx (BEL)
Josie Knight (GBR)
Abby-Mae Parkinson (GBR)

Ceratizit-WNT Pro Cycling

Maria Giulia Confalonieri (ITA)
Marta Lach (POL)
Lizbeth Yareli Salazar (MEX)
Kathrin Schweinberger (AUT)
Lea Lin Teutenberg (GER)
Lara Vieceli (ITA)

NXTG by Experza

Lone Meertens (BEL)
Julia Borgström (SWE)
Britt Knaven (BEL)
Mylène De Zoete (NED)
Ilse Pluimers (NED)
Maud Rijnbeek (NED)

Parkhotel Valkenburg

Demi De Jong (NED)
Mischa Bredewold (NED)
Femke Gerritse (NED)
Femke Markus (NED)
Quinty Schoens (NED)
Anne van Rooijen (NED)

Team Coop - Hitec Products

Nicole Steigenga (NED)
Caroline Andersson (SWE)
Pernille Feldmann (NOR)
Ingvild Gåskjenn (NOR)
Josie Nelson (GBR)
Jessica Roberts (GBR)

IBCT

Sara Van De Vel (BEL)
Svenja Betz (GER)
Antonia Gröndahl (FIN)
Alice Sharpe (IRL)
Elizabeth Bennett (GBR)
Fien Van Eynde (BEL)

Valcar - Travel & Service

Chiara Consonni (ITA)
Anastasia Carbonari (ITA)
Eleonora Camilla Gasparrini (ITA)
Karolina Kumiega (POL)
Silvia Persico (ITA)
Ilaria Sanguineti (ITA)

Omloop Het Nieuwsblad 2022 TV guide

Both GCN and Eurosport will broadcast Omloop Het Nieuwsblad on Saturday, with the women's race live on GCN+ from 3.30pm-4.30pm, and the men's race live from 12.30pm-4.30pm. 

To gain access to Eurosport coverage you can subscribe to the Eurosport Player app for £39.99 a year or £6.99 per month.

Access to the GCN Race Pass costs £39.99 a year, with a special launch offer of £19.99 for the year currently available.

>>> How to watch Omloop Het Nieuwsblad 2022

Social Media

Twitter (text updates)

Omloop Het Nieuwsblad - @OmloopHNB

Omloop Het Nieuwsblad men's previous winners

2005: Nick Nuyens (BEL) Quick-Step–Innergetic
2006: Philippe Gilbert (BEL) Française des Jeux
2007: Filippo Pozzato (ITA) Liquigas
2008: Philippe Gilbert (BEL) Française des Jeux
2009: Thor Hushovd (NOR) Cervélo TestTeam
2010: Juan Antonio Flecha (ESP) Team Sky
2011: Sebastian Langeveld (NED) Rabobank
2012: Sep Vanmarcke (BEL) Garmin–Barracuda
2013: Luca Paolini (ITA) Team Katusha
2014: Ian Stannard (GBR) Team Sky
2015: Ian Stannard (GBR) Team Sky
2016: Greg Van Avermaet (BEL) BMC Racing Team
2017: Greg Van Avermaet (BEL) BMC Racing Team
2018: Michael Valgren (DEN) Astana
2019: Zdeněk Štybar (CZE) Deceuninck–Quick-Step
2020: Jasper Stuyvan (BEL) Trek-Segafredo
2021: Davide Ballerini (ITA) Deceuninck - Quick-Step

Omloop Het Nieuwsblad women's previous winners

2006: Suzanne de Goede (NED) AA Drink Cycling
2007: Mie Lacota (DEN) Flexipoint
2008: Kirsten Wild (NED) AA Drink Cycling
2009: Suzanne de Goede (NED) Equipe Nürnberger Versicherung
2010: Emma Johansson (SWE) Red Sun Cycling Team
2011: Emma Johansson (SWE) Hitec Products-UCK
2012: Loes Gunnewijk (NED) GreenEDGE-AIS
2013: Tiffany Cromwell (AUS) Orica-AIS
2014: Amy Pieters (NED) Skil Koga
2015: Anna van der Breggen (NED) Rabobank-Liv
2016: Lizzie Armitstead (GBR) Boels-Dolmans
2017: Lucinda Brand (NED) Team Sunweb
2018: Christina Malling Siggaard (DEN) Team Virtu Cycling
2019: Chantal Blaak (NED) Boels-Dolmans
2020: Annemiek van Vleuten (NED) Mitchelton-Scott
2021: Anna van der Breggen (NED) Team SD Worx