Omloop van het Hageland is a proper, old-school early-season race, rolling through the countryside east-north-east of Brussels. Red brick houses, quiet streets, wind-blasted open fields and riders families milling around to support their heroines.
Marta Bastianelli (Ale-BTC Ljubljana) won it last year, and is fresh off a podium yesterday at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, so is a big favourite to repeat her 2019 win.
With just a couple of ‘bergs’ barely worthy of the name, this is a race for the strong, and the brave, willing to use the twists, turns and crosswinds to break things apart. The race runs 55 kilometers from Tienen to Tielt-Winge, generally north but with a few evil twists thrown in, before five laps of a 15-kilometer anti-clockwise finishing circuit, for a total distance of 130 kilometers.
21kms left and Bastianelli tried to ignite the race on the short, sharp Roeselberg, with Tayler Wiles (Trek-Segafredo) and Teniel Campbell (Valcar-Travel & Service) in close attendance.
Inside 20kms to go, it was Michelton-Scott, Trek-Segafredo and Ale-BTC Ljubljana pushing things with a nice gap pulled out by Grace Brown, an annoyed Lucinda Brand and Eri Yonamine respectively. The Japanese champion sat resolutely on the back, defending the interests of Marta Bastianelli in the peloton, not taking a turn.
Brand led the trio over the line for the start of the final 15-kilometer lap with a 28” advantage.
Bigla-Katusha, FDJ and Movistar were all prominent in leading a chase heading into the last 10 kms; the escapees visible on the straight roads.
The catch was made at 6 kilometers to go, on the Roeselberg, with Tayler Wiles again immediately launching an attack, followed by Yonamine.
Marlen Reusser (Bigla-Katusha) forced her way across, dropping Wiles but picking up the limpet-like Yonamine for company. With the Japanese rider constantly looking for the peloton over her shoulder it was all back together with 3 kilometers left.
Trek-Segafredo and Lotto-Soudal kept things shut down on the narrow farm roads leading to the finish, playing things perfectly for a spring finish.
Van Dijk and Brand almost misjudged a nasty downhill left-hander inside the final kilometre, needing the pavement to stay upright, before the sprinters took centre stage.
Bsatianelli took the barriers on the right, trying to use the same winning line as she did last year against Lotta Lepistö-Henttala and Leah Kirchmann, forcing Wiebes to come the long way round, but the young Dutch rider had the sheer speed and momentum to take the win.
Omloop van het Hageland 2020, 130kms
1 Lorena Wiebes (Ned/Parkhotel Valkenberg)
2 Marta Bastianelli (Ita/Ale BTC Ljubljana)
3 Emma Norsgaard(Bigla-Katusha)
4 Emilia Fahlin (Swe/FDJ)
5 Teniel Campbell (Tri/Valcar-Travel & Service)
6 Charlotte Kool (Ned/NXTG Racing)
7 Lotta Henttala (Fin/Trek-Segafredo)
8 Arianna Fidanza (Ita/Lotto-Soudal)
9 Ilaria Sanguineti (Ita/Valcar-Travel & Service)
10 Jelena Erić (Srb/Movistar)