Demi Vollering claimed victory at the women's Omloop Nieuwsblad for the first time in her career after attacking with Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney and then dominating the final sprint in Ninove.
The FDJ United-SUEZ leader benefitted from excellent work from her team-mate Franziska Koch on the penultimate climb of the Muur van Geraardsbergen to escape alongside Canyon-SRAM-zondacrypto's Niewiadoma-Phinney. The pair quickly built a solid advantage and came to the line together, with Lorena Wiebes (SD Worx-Protime) winning the sprint behind to take the final spot on the podium.
"It's really nice to finish it off here today," the European champion said after the finish. "It was my own expectation that I would do it, but, then still to do it makes me proud."
It was a perfect team performance from FDJ-SUEZ, with Elise Chabbey slipping into a mid-race move to take the pressure off ahead of Koch's race-defining pull on the Muur van Geraardsbergen. Now into her second season with the team, Vollering is encouraged by the teamwork on display.
"The team did really a good job. All day in the front and then Elise in the break and Franzi did the perfect leadout on the Muur. I almost didn't do anything myself. It was really nice, too, to do this with the girls."
"I think what you see now is that we really start to understand each other on the bike. It's now my second year in the team, and even if the plan changed a bit, we are just very quick, and everybody knows what is expected from her. So everybody steps into their role, and that's amazing to see that everybody takes their responsibilities and do their job."
How it happened
All the difficulties of this race occurred within the final 60 kilometres or so, and with the anticipation of the Muur van Geraardsbergen and Bosberg finale to come, the favourites were happy to sit back over the opening half of the course, with a small breakaway gaining over three minutes of an advantage.
That move was reeled in early, and a second, stronger group stretched into the lead in the final hour. The quartet was made up of Eleonora Gasparrini (UAE Team ADQ), Elise Chabbey (FDJ United-SUEZ), Nina Berton (EF Education-Oatly) and Kamilla Aasebø (UNO-X Mobility) and built a lead up to a minute with 30km to go as the day’s major tests were being negotiated.
That gap had been slashed as the riders approached the Muur van Geraardsburgen. At the foot, Franziska Koch unleashed a searing lead-out for her leader Vollering, which incinerated the group and saw the likes of Lorena Wiebes and Lotte Kopecky (both SD Worx-ProTime) distanced.
Over the top, Vollering was clear alongside Niewiadoma-Phinney and after the Bosberg, the two former Tour de France Femmes winners had a lead of 45 seconds over a chase group including Wiebes with 10km left.
Vollering struck first in the sprint and her Polish rival was unable to come around as the Dutch rider claimed her fourth win of the year.
Results
Women's Omloop Nieuwsblad (137km)
1. Demi Vollering (Ned) FDJ United-SUEZ in 03:35:51
2. Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney (Pol), same time
3. Lorena Wiebes (Ned) SD Worx-ProTime, +21s
4. Cat Ferguson (GBr) Movistar
5. Franziska Koch (Ger) FDJ United-SUEZ
6. Karlijn Swinkels (Ned) UAE Team ADQ
7. Shari Bossuyt (Bel) AG Insurance-Soudal
8. Millie Couzens (Fenix-Premier Tech)
9. Nina Berton (EF Education-Oatly)
10. Letizia Paternoster (Liv-AlUla-Jayco), all same time
