Lotte Claes wins after a long day in the breakaway
The Belgian Claes (Arkéa - B&B Hotels Women) took control of a chaotic Omloop. She was the last survivor of the early breakaway and defeated the Polish rider Nerlo (Winspace Orange Seal) in a sprint at the line. The peloton completely misjudged the breakaway and reacted too late. Demi Vollering (FDJ - Suez) won the sprint for third place ahead of Puck Pieterse (Fenix - Deceuninck).
At 126 km from the finish, a leading group of five riders formed: Elena Pirrone (Roland), Lotte Claes, Aurelia Nerlo, Julie Stockman (DD Group Pro Cycling Team), and Mieke Docx (Lotto Ladies) secured a spot in the breakaway of the day. After 20 km, the peloton was trailing by about 4 minutes.
The four leaders made a formidable impression and did not drop each other on the Leberg and Berendries. Meanwhile, the strong teams in the peloton picked up the pace and reeled in the chasers. With a deficit of over 8 minutes at 30 km from the finish, it seemed the birds had flown.
With 25 km to go, Demi Vollering's domestiques accelerated to guide their leader over the Elverenberg-Vossenhol. The pace in the peloton increased further, but no significant gaps were created. As the riders approached the Muur – Kapelmuur, the breakaway still had more than six minutes in hand.
On the Muur, the breakaway shattered, with Docx and Pirrona unable to keep up. This left Claes and Nerlo to battle for victory with 15 km remaining. In the chase group, Vollering launched a powerful attack. Only Pieterse, Niewiadoma (CANYON/SRAM zondacrypto), and Reusser (Movistar Team) could follow. The duo then worked together in search of third place.
At the front, Claes attacked with 4 km to go, but Nerlo responded. In the final kilometer, the Polish rider launched one last move. Claes briefly had to let go and seemed to crack but managed to come back. She then overtook Nerlo and secured victory in the opening classic. In the battle for third place, Vollering ultimately defeated Pieterse.
