Results Omloop Het Nieuwsblad WE 2026 | Demi Vollering outsprints Kasia Niewiadoma to secure dramatic victory

Demi Vollering won Omloop Het Nieuwsblad 2026 after forcing a decisive selection on the Muur van Geraardsbergen and defeating Katarzyna Niewiadoma in a two-rider sprint in Ninove.

What had been a tense, attritional Classic shaped by crosswinds and repeated crashes ultimately narrowed to a duel between two of the peloton’s most accomplished one-day riders.

The race was broken not by patience, but by force.

Earlier in the afternoon, a four-rider breakaway of Lea Lin Teutenberg, Britt de Grave, Jony van den Eijnden and Emilie Fortin animated the opening phase, stretching their advantage beyond three minutes before the peloton gradually tightened control approaching the Flemish climbs.

A second quartet later formed on the Leberg, with Nina Berton, Elise Chabbey, Eleonora Gasparrini and Kamilla Aasebo building a one-minute lead. Behind them, Team SD Worx Protime assumed responsibility, positioning for Lotte Kopecky and Lorena Wiebes as the race entered its decisive terrain.

The structure changed completely with just under 30 kilometres remaining.

A mass crash in the middle of the peloton brought down several riders, including Zoe Backstedt and Chiara Consonni, splitting the field and disrupting positioning ahead of the Muur. In the confusion that followed, numerical control shifted, and the margin for error disappeared.

When the race reached the cobbles of the Muur van Geraardsbergen, Vollering accelerated decisively.

The Dutch rider forced an elite selection on the steepest section. Anna van der Breggen and Nina Berton were dropped as the move sharpened. Lotte Kopecky was not present in the front group, suggesting she had been delayed in the aftermath of the earlier crash.

Over the summit, only Katarzyna Niewiadoma could match Vollering’s tempo.

On the Bosberg, Vollering again increased the pace in an attempt to distance the Polish rider. Niewiadoma briefly crested just behind but held contact, and together the pair opened a clear advantage over the fragmented chase.

Behind them, the organisation never fully stabilised. FDJ United SUEZ and Canyon SRAM zondacrypto each had their leader committed at the front, while SD Worx Protime were left chasing with reduced influence.

With ten kilometres remaining, the gap hovered around 25 seconds. The final run to Ninove offered no further climbs, only exposed roads and a fast approach to the line.

The outcome would be decided head to head. Inside the final kilometre, Vollering led the sprint. Niewiadoma remained on her wheel but could not come past as the Dutch rider launched her effort with 200 metres to go.

Vollering crossed the line first, securing her third victory of the season and her first triumph at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad.

Behind, the first chase group sprinted for third, led by riders from FDJ United SUEZ and Team SD Worx Protime, but the race had already been decided on the cobbles of the Muur.

After a day defined by crosswinds, crashes and tactical tension, it was a moment of clarity on the steepest climb in Geraardsbergen that determined the winner.

Two riders clear. One decisive acceleration. Demi Vollering had made it count.