Demi Vollering and Puck Pieterse smash the Annemiek van Vleuten's Strava QOM record on Muur van Geraardsbergen during controversial Omloop Het Nieuwsblad
Cycling
The Saturday's Omloop Het Nieuwsblad WE was discussed for all the wrong reasons for the past few days, but now that the storm is calming down, we can have a look at some of the interesting numbers. Most notably, the Strava QOM (Queen of the Mountain) on Muur van Geraardsbergen was broken.
Demi Vollering and Puck Pieterse rode the 1.1 km long segment in just 3 minutes and 9 seconds. With this performance, they surpassed Annemiek van Vleuten's time from 2022 Omloop by full 7 seconds!
For some context, this is a time/speed that would almost enable the best ladies to tag along with their male counterparts with the front groups flying up the Muur just 20 seconds faster. And for example former winner Michael Valgren took extra 24 seconds to ride up the Muur.
That lightning speed underlines that they were by far the best riders in the race and only gave up their chance at victory to tactical games between the biggest teams. Compared to the two top ladies, race winner Lotte Claes ahead in breakaway rode Muur van Geraardsbergen in 4 minutes and 2 seconds, nearly a full minute slower than Pieterse and Vollering!
Ondrej ZhasilCycling Journalist
Ondřej Zhasil is a cycling journalist at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2023. He is based in Ostrava, the third-largest city in the Czech Republic, and covers professional cycling across the main UCI competitions, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España. A key focus of his work is startlist analysis and pre-race coverage, where he examines team selections, rider line-ups, and tactical scenarios ahead of major events.
Alongside WorldTour coverage, Ondřej has developed specific expertise in junior cycling and in racing across East Asia, including competitions in China and Japan. He also maintains a broad working knowledge of other disciplines and levels, including cyclocross, while continuing to expand his understanding of mountain bike racing.
Ondřej holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Physics, which supports his analytical, data-driven approach to performance and race analysis. In his reporting, he regularly uses ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available.
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