In any race there are always stars and heroes and villains, even if they might find those roles inadvertently. The stars today both earned their headlines, but very differently. Chantal Blaak, the former world champion, took a glorious solo win for Boels-Dolmans. She was powerful, brave, tactically astute … seeing the chance to strike and bringing home a fine win.
The other hero is Bigla’s Nicole Hanselmann whose power and bravery forced the race organisers, Flanders Classics, to halt her progress as she drew the women’s field too close to the men’s race.
The delay in proceedings meant that her breakaway chances never fully flourished. In sight of the field, they were never going to let her get properly going after she’d had to stop.
The former Swiss champion was a minute clear after 35 kilometers when officials brought the race to a standstill in Sint-Denijs-Boekel, but she was pulled back after the first cobbled section of the Haaghoek.
The Molenberg offered a number of elite escape attempts to flourish, with Canyon-SRAM heavily represented (Barnes, Niewiadoma, Ryan) as well as Van Vleuten (Michelson-Scott) and Bastianelli (Virtu Cycling).
Eventually, it was Blaak and Canyon-SRAM’s Kasia Niewiadoma who got away, only to be caught by a big, favorite-packed chase, including Blaak’s world champion team-mate Anna van der Breggen, European Champion Marta Bastianelli from Virtu Cycling, and defending champion Christina Siggaard.
Blaak drove the pace on the Muur-Kapelmuur going through Geraardsbergen, holding an impressive line up the steep, cobbled slopes, and eventually shaped the decisive gap.
The Dutch champion was half a minute clear over the top of the Bosberg, the final climb, and barely needed to look round as she hammered her way to the line.
Ellen Van Dijk (Trek-Segafredo) was the rider who most consistently tried to jump across; the rest of the chase wouldn’t let her go, and any effort to co-ordinate a proper pursuit of Blaak was too disorganised to succeed.
A fantastic start to the Classics season, with plenty of talking points to mull over: Blaak looking so strong on the cobbles; Annemiek Van Vleuten in the top ten only five months after breaking her knee; Jip van den Bos making a big podium place; Marta Bastianelli in flying form; a pretty cohesive performance from both the established Canyon-SRAM and the newly-minted Trek-Segafredo.
Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, 2019 Result
1. Chantal Blaak (Boels-Dolmans) 3hrs 20’ 58”
2. Marta Bastianelli (Virtu Cycling) + 1’ 09”
3. Jip Van Den Bos (Boels-Dolmans)
4. Annemiek Van Vleuten (Michelton-Scott)
5. Alexis Ryan (Canyon-SRAM)
6. Jeanne Korevaar (CCC-Liv)
7. Aude Biannic (Movistar)
8. Sofie De Vuyst (Parkhotel Valkenburg)
9. Christina Siggaard (Virtu Cycling)
10. Floortje Maickaij (Sunweb) all same time