Czech Mate! Stybar wins Omloop Het Nieuwsblad

Deceuninck-Quick Step’s Czech Zdenek Stybar took one of the greatest triumphs of his career in winning the first cobbled Classic of the season, Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, on Saturday. Stybar outfoxed Greg Van Avermaet and three others in the final two kilometers of the race for the triumph. His team has claimed both one-day WorldTour contests so far this season, after Elia Viviani sprinted to the victory in January’s Great Ocean Road Race.

Yeeeeessssssss! @zdenekstybar wins Omloop Het Nieuwsblad after a strong and smart ride, netting the 12th victory of the season for Deceuninck – Quick-Step!#OHN19
Photo: @GettySport pic.twitter.com/LtTCptMerW

— Deceuninck-QuickStep (@deceuninck_qst) March 2, 2019

The Course

Over 200-km from Merelbeke to Ninove in Flanders, Belgium, the riders faced 13-hills, some cobbled, and nine cobbled sections. The Muur and Bosberg climbs in the final 17-km would provide the fireworks.

199.8 kilometers, several cobbled segments, 13 hills – including the legendary Muur-Kapelmuur and Bosberg – and amazing fans! How can you not be excited about #OHN19? pic.twitter.com/PrsMJ18caG

— Deceuninck-QuickStep (@deceuninck_qst) March 2, 2019

The Breakaway and the Pokey Peloton

Almost immediately a couple of fellows from wildcard teams broke away, soon joined by two other riders. With the peloton taking it easy, the quartet rolled up a 10-minute lead before the first section of cobbles at the 37-km mark.

The slow peloton caused a problem in the women’s race, which shared the first 40-km with the men’s edition and had started only 10-minutes later. With Nicole Hanselmann leading solo, the race had to be stopped and neutralized at a railroad crossing at Sint-Denijs-Boekel.

The Dangerous Countermove

With crashes and crosswinds causing havoc, around 20 riders shook loose between the Leberg and Paddestraat soon after Deceuninck-Quick Step had started to make a concerted effort to shrink the breakaway’s gap. It was a strong bunch too, with double winner Ian Stannard, Stybar and Oliver Naesen involved. Greg Van Avermaet’s CCC and Astana did most of the chasing in the main peloton.

#OHN19 It's @NVHooydonck and @franventoso driving the pace at the front of the main bunch! pic.twitter.com/ev406zHYsZ

— CCC Team (@CCCProTeam) March 2, 2019

The two groups came back together on the Valkenburg with 66-km to go. Soon, the breakaway came to heel.

The Big Move Before the Muur

Jumbo-Visma pushed onto the Molenberg and this caused the dangerous split of the race. Van Avermaet, Wout Van Aert, Stannard, Tiesj Benoot, Stybar, Matteo Trentin and Yves Lampaert were all present. Benoot crashed near the Elverenberg, the last climb before the Muur and this created a further selection of six.

With 28-km to go Van Avermaet, Alexey Lutsenko (Kazakhstan/Astana), Stybar, Dylan Teuns (Belgium/Bahrain-Merida), Daniel Oss (Italy/Bora-Hansgrohe) and Tim Wellens (Belgium/Lotto-Soudal) headed for the showdown on the Muur with the peloton 18-seconds behind.

The Muur

It's coming, it's coming
It's here, have no fear.#OHN19
Photo: @GettySport pic.twitter.com/3e98S3I7fY

— Deceuninck-QuickStep (@deceuninck_qst) March 2, 2019

Stybar surged onto the Muur while his teammate Philippe Gilbert and Direct Energie’s Niki Terpstra attempted to bridge over from the chase. Oss dropped away under the pressure.

?? #OHN19
some troubles for @Daniel87Oss at the kappelmuur while @jempy_drucker hangs on the chasing group. pic.twitter.com/iscaJansDm

— BORA – hansgrohe (@BORAhansgrohe) March 2, 2019

Five of the six survived the Muur intact without anyone from the chase reaching them.

The Bosberg

The quintet started playing about as it approached the Bosberg, but its lead was 17-seconds over the chase gang. Van Avermaet cranked it up on the Bosberg with Wellens and Teuns beginning to look a little cooked. However, the five kept together heading towards the finish line in Ninove. With Oss still dangling between the leaders and the chase, it seemed likely the winner would be one of the five.

With 10 km to go, it's safe to say the winner will be one of our five leaders. They have a gap of 35". #OHN #OHN19 pic.twitter.com/fxYcGayb47

— OmloopHetNieuwsblad (@OmloopHNB) March 2, 2019

Endgame

More cat-and-mouse and missed turns marked the lead-in to Ninove. Wellens tried a dig with 3-km to go but Van Avermaet closed it. It was Stybar’s surge with 2-km to go that broke up the party. Lutsenko looked to Van Avermaet to shut it down, but the Belgian couldn’t. Soon it was too late.

Stybar held firm for the win. He won the 2015 Strade Bianche and has claimed a stage of the Tour de France and Vuelta a España.

Van Avermaet came runner-up and Wellens rounded out the podium. Hugo Houle was the top Canadian in 29th while Antoine Duchesne came in 81st.

Tomorrow is the second race of the Classics Opening Weekend, Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne, which is a 1.HC-rated race that’s suited to sprinters. Next Saturday is the WorldTour race Strade Bianche.

2019 Omloop Het Nieuwsblad
1) Zdenek Stybar (Czech Republic/Deceuninck-Quick Step) 4:53:17
2) Greg Van Avermaet (Belgium/CCC) +0:09
3) Tim Wellens (Belgium/Lotto-Soudal) s.t.
29) Hugo Houle (Canada/Astana) +2:51
81) Antoine Duchesne (Canada/FDJ-Groupama) +6:23