Season 4 Omloop Het Nieuwsblad

The Season 4 Omloop Het Nieuwsblad is a cobbled classic in the VeloTour. It was won by Viktor Petruskivicius of the Euskaltel-Euskadi team.

## Pre-Race

Cobblestone specialists like Glenn Maertens (Sismic), Luigi Belle (Alpha Tauri), Virgil Lazarescu (Futuro Forestal), and Viktor Petruskivicius (Euskaltel-Euskadi) were considered favorites to win the race. Euskaltel-Euskadi were thought to have the strongest team with multiple options to attack or defend in the race finale.

After the Kyoto team dominated Tirreno-Adriatico, many managers were hoping to gain back points in the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad. The Jupiler team were looking to score their first points of Season 4.

## Race Overview

The peloton was split with 150 kilometers to go after Joséphine Oudébaya and Emil Meijer of Nautalia increased the pace in a crosswind section. A group of approximately 30 riders made the front group, while the peloton was dropped for several minutes. The Kyoto, Hackett, Castelli, and Vallnord teams were all left behind in this split.

A breakaway of Emil Meijer and Axel Sjogren (Doimo) formed with about 120 kilometers to go. The duo would gain a maximum advantage of 3:30 but were gradually brought back by the pace-making of Euskaltel-Euskadi and Sismic. Alpha Tauri tried an attack before the final hills with Levi Kennedy and Luigi Belle. Glenn Maertens (Sismic) and Diana Steffensen (Jupiler) also made this group, but the move was chased down by Euskaltel-Euskadi. A counterattack was launched by Ishikawa Kitetsu (Futuro Forestal), Virgil Lazarescu (Futuro Forestal), and Marcel Lafaille (Jupiler). This move was also caught before Belle attacked again, marked this time by Euskaltel-Euskadi's Stefan Landau. The two riders would enter the Kapelmuur first chased by Maertens, Lafaille, Lazarescu, and three Euskaltel-Euskadi riders.

Lazarescu was the strongest on the Kapelmuur and opened a gap over the top of the climb. A chase group of six formed behind with Belle, Maertens, Lafaille, Landau, Viktor Petruskivicius (Euskaltel-Euskadi), and Lachlan Baines (Euskaltel-Euskadi). Baines worked at the front of the group and was dropped at the foot of the Bosberg. Lazarescu conserved his advantage over the top of the Bosberg, entering the flat 12 kilometers to the finish with a 20 seconds lead of the chase group.

Stefan Landau did most of the chasing in the chase group, but tired inside the last 10 kilometers. Lazarescu's advantage grew to 34 seconds with 5 kilometers to go. Glenn Maertens launched an attack 3 kilometers from the finish in a last-ditch effort to bridge the gap, dropping Landau in the process. Inside the final kilometer, Virgil Lazarescu tired from his solo effort as the sprint began from the chase group beind. Viktor Petruskivicius caught Lazarescu in the final meters to win the race, with Lazarescu holding on for second place. Belle placed third and Lafaille fourth in the group. Maertens placed fifth after being dropped in sight of the finish.

Euskaltel-Euskadi won the race and placed three riders in the top seven places, scoring an important chunk of points to make up for a poor Tirreno-Adriatico. Early animator Joséphine Oudébaya placed 8th for Nautalia, and Jupiler placed two riders inside the top 10 (Marcel Lafaille and Abdoulkader N'Gama) to score their first points of the season.