Home > News

Davide Ballerini announces his arrival as he wins Omloop Het Nieuwsblad

Sprint finish in Belgian Spring Classics season opener

February 27, 2021
Share on SMS

Italian Davide Ballerini joined the ranks of Deceuninck-QuickStep Heavyweights on Saturday by winning a rare Omloop Het Nieuwsblad bunch sprint, officially kicking off the Spring Classics season in Flanders, Belgium. Ballerini has been red-hot this season; Omloop Het Nieuwsblad is his third win of 2021. In his Astana-Premier Tech debut, Ben Perry was top Canadian in 99th.

The Course

The men’s race featured 9 cobbled sectors and 13 “bergs”, four of which were cobbled. Set inside the final 60 km of 200 were five bergs and five cobbled sections, with the infamous cobbled Kapelmuur (900 metres of 7.9 percent) and the Bosberg (1.3 km of 5.7 percent) lying in the last 20 kilometers of the 200 kilometer-long parcours.

Canadian content was Ben Perry in his debut for Astana-Premier Tech and Groupama-FDJ’s Antoine Duchesne, but an Israel Start-up Nation staff member tested positive for COVID-19, and since Guillaume Boivin had been in close contact, he did not start.

A quintet of fugitives shuffled off early in the race and had gained 8:40 on the pack after 34 km and just before the first climb, Leberg.

Deceuninck-QuickStep, with a handful on contenders in Julian Alaphilippe, Ballerini, Yves Lampaert and Zdeněk Štybar, set the pace in the peloton as the race rolled over the Den Ast and Kattenberg. By the midpoint of the race, the gap was 5:45.

Just after a crash that took down Greg Van Avermaet and Sep Vanmarcke, one of the escapees flatted, lost contact with his breakmates and certainly drafted his team car to latch back on. A move from EF Education-Nippo caused a reaction that strung out the peloton. More thrusts came on and following the Hostellerie climb, dramatically shrinking the fugitives’ lead.

In his debut for Astana-Premier Tech, Canada’s Ben Perry suffers a mechanical with 63 kilometers to race.

The peloton was tearing towards the foot of the 900-metre, 7.9 percent Wolvenberg when there was a big crash near the front of the peloton. Deceuninck led onto the Wolvenberg and the Holleweg cobbles, but Lampaert crashed and had to get another bike.

The difficult Molenberg cobbled climb with 44 km remaining drew Matteo Trentin (Italy/UAE-Emirates) to the front, with Alaphilippe, Štybar and Ballerini on his wheel.

Trentin leads a high-powered group after the Molenberg.

The Trentin-Alaphilippe-Van Avermaet group was 15 strong, and it caught the break with 41 km to go. Tom Pidcock made it over before the De Haaghoek cobbles.

On the Berendries hill, Alaphilippe attacked and went clear.

The world champion goes clear.

The Muur and Bosberg

It all came togther–Alaphilippe, chase and pack–before the Muur. There was no big selection on the famed climb.

Gianni Moscon and Sep Vanmarcke lead on the Muur.

Gianni Moscon pulled away on the road to the Bosberg, with Oliver Naesen his closest pursuer. Moscon was brought to heel on the lowers slopes of the Bosberg, but again, there was no selection on the cobbles. Around fifty riders remained.

The Conclusion

Deceuninck led the pack as it made its way to the finish in Ninove, the pace moderate. Alaphilippe’s earlier efforts showed as he faded back with 3 km remaining. Exhaustion, mechanicals and a crash reduced the bunch that would contest the win.

Teammate Florian Senechel led the Italian through the final two turns. Ballerini held on for a huge win, holding off Jake Stewart of Groupama-FDJ for the win. He hooted in exultation after the line.

Ballerini celebrates with Senechel after the victory.

2021 Omloop Het Nieuwsblad
1) Davide Ballerini (Italy/Deceuninck-Quick Step) 4:43:03
2) Jake Stewart (Great Britain/Groupama-FDJ) s.t.
3) Sep Vanmarcke (Belgium/Israel Start-up Nation) s.t.
99) Ben Perry (Canada/Astana-Premier Tech) +4:46
103) Antoine Duchesne (Canada/Groupama-FDJ) s.t.