Omloop van het Hageland (Tielt-Winge) – Sunday February 26th

On the Sunday, the women’s peloton took the long and relatively flat route of the Omloop van het Hageland. The route comprised of one loop of 53.1km, followed by 5 laps of 15.2km, totalling over 120km in distance.

The intense race saw several breakaway attempts made, most of which featured Elisa Longo Borghini (Wiggle High5). At the end of the long loop, the Italian rider was clear in a group of five, which included Amy Pieters (Boels-Dolmans), and Longo Borghini’s breakaway companion from the previous day’s Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, Ellen van Dijk (Sunweb).

Once this break had been caught, Jolien D’hoore (Wiggle High5) escaped in an eight-rider break, which again included Pieters, as well as fellow sprinters Barbara Guarischi (Canyon//SRAM) and Leah Kirchmann (Sunweb).

D’hoore’s break was caught on the penultimate lap, only for Longo Borghini to get away again with van Dijk, Chantal Blaak (Boels-Dolmans) and van Dijk’s teammate, sprinter Coryn Rivera. This group was 20 seconds clear of the peloton as they took the bell with just one 17.5km lap to go.

Just as the break was caught with just over 5km to go, however, Longo Borghini attacked yet again, and was alone and clear as she crested the Roeselberg. Into the descent the Italian Time Trial Champion had a nine second advantage but, with so many sprinters in the bunch behind her, their teams gradually closed her down as the line approached.

In the closing 500 metres, Longo Borghini was caught, and Jolien D’hoore made her sprint move. The former Belgian Champion managed to hold out to take her second Omloop van het Hageland in three years.

RESULTS:

1    Jolien D’hoore (Bel) Wiggle High5
2    Chloe Hosking (Aus) Alé Cipollini
3    Sarah Roy (Aus) Orica Scott Women
4    Lotta Lepistö (Fin) Cervelo Bigla Pro Cycling Team
5    Lotte Kopecky (Bel) Lotto Soudal Ladies