Greg Van Avermaet (BMC Racing) successfully defended his Omloop Het Nieuwsblad crown when he saw off world champion Peter Sagan (Bora-Hansgrohe) and Sep Vanmarcke (Cannondale-Drapac) with a powerful sprint in Ghent.
The winning move was formed in installments, beginning with Sagan’s fierce accelerations on the climb of the Wolvenberg and the cobbles that followed at Haaghoek, efforts that helped peg back the early leaders and whittle down an already reduced group of favourites.
Only Sagan and Van Avermaet could then respond when Vanmarcke attacked on the final climb of the Molenberg, and the trio quickly established a lead of 30 seconds over the chasers. They would scarcely hand back an inch of that advantage thereafter, despite the efforts of Sky and Quick-Step in the group of twelve riders that formed behind them.
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In truth, the three leaders looked a rung or two above everyone else in the opening race of the Belgian season, though it must be noted that a number of contenders, including Tom Boonen (Quick-Step) and Alexander Kristoff (Katusha), were eliminated by a crash ahead of the Taaienberg, traditionally the true starting point of hostilities among the favourites.
Sagan was forced to lead the break into the final kilometre, though it was Vanmarcke, winner of Omloop in 2012, who opened the sprint from distance. Van Avermaet was quick to respond. He swiftly moved past Vanmarcke and put a length into Sagan, and the world champion was never able to get back on terms.
Van Avermaet once had the reputation as a nearly man, but he began to shake off that tag following his victory in similar circumstances at Omloop a year ago. After winning Olympic gold in Rio last summer, Van Avermaet clearly no longer has any inhibitions in the biggest races, and he will be encouraged, too, by his fine head-to-head record against Sagan.
Race video highlights
How it unfolded
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