Even with three victories to start her season from the UAE Tour, Lorena Wiebes acknowledges that "the spring campaign is different" and an evasive victory this Saturday at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad Elite Women would not only give her a true indication of her race form but also check off a box for a season goal.
The SD Worx-Protime sprinter proved she was the favourite to repeat with wins on a pair of flat stages to open the UAE Tour as she did in 2024. Not only did she replicate that speed for the wins on stages 1 and 2, but she also scored the win on stage 4 into Abu Dhabi Breakwater for the first time in three tries.
"The spring campaign is still different from the UAE Tour, though. So those victories in the sprints don't mean that I will also win the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad just like that," the reigning European road race champion said in a team statement.
"The Omloop het Nieuwsblad is always an exciting race. This feels like the real start of the season. But it is nice to ride those earlier races, as they're ideal to gain race rhythm. It always remains to be seen how you will perform in the Omloop."
Since competing at Belgium one-day race, known for its punch climbs and cobbled sections across the Flemish hills, Wiebes didn't grab a podium until her fifth try, going third in 2022. She then took second in 2023 before going ninth last year.
"I hope I can take the top step this time. The race suits me," she said. "Last year, I didn't have my best day. After the Muur I tried to ride back to the front, but I was in between both groups."
Last year was a completely different dynamic, as her teammate Lotte Kopecky made the front group and would finish second to Marianne Vos (Visma-Lease a Bike) in a four-rider bunch sprint. Her other teammate, Demi Vollering, now with FDJ-Suez, finished second in a four-rider chase group that was led by Thalita De Jong (Lotto Dstny) and included Kasia Niewiadoma (Canyon-SRAM) and Puck Pieterse (Fenix-Deceuninck).
It all came down to positioning on the Muur van Geraardsbergen cobbled climb, which left a few kilometres to one paved climb at Bosberg before the final 11.8km to finish in Nivone. But she predicted the team would have to be alert once the majority of cobble sectors were completed with 90km to go, and the climbs were underway.
"it is important to survive the Muur in the leading group. You have to be sharp before the Molenberg," she said about two of the eight key climbs on the course. "They are indicating relatively little wind for Saturday for now. That can be an advantage, but equally a disadvantage. It depends on the course of the race.’
This year she will have Mischa Bredewold, Elena Cucchini, Barbara Guarischi, Marta Lach and Femke Markus on the squad. Kopecky is expected to be on the start line the next day at Fenix Omloop van het Hageland along with Anna van der Breggen, while Wiebes will sit that out and resume at the mid-week Le Samyn des Dames then Strade Bianche Women.
‘We come to the start with a different team compared to previous seasons. Of course, with Lotte Kopecky at the start, you have a bit more security, but this is still a very strong team. With Femke Markus, Elena Cecchini and Barbara Guarischi in support, we have three riders who are super at positioning," she said.
"I expect Mischa Bredewold and Marta Lach to last a long time in the final. Marta strikes me as someone who never gives up and, as a puncher type, is made for the classic spring. Hopefully, we can play our cards right in the final.’
And what about facing former teammates Vollering and Marlen Reusser (Movistar) for the first time this season?
"With my former teammates Demi Vollering and Marlen Reusser, the competition is strong. Lidl-Trek also has a strong team at the start. I see Elisa Balsamo going along for a long time. Kasia Niewiadoma and Puck Pieterse are also among the favourites. It would be nice to beat them and win the Omloop het Nieuwsblad. Then I immediately tick off one of my goals this season," Wiebes admitted.
"Personally, I obviously hope to add the Omloop to my palmares. I would like to win a Classic. I would also like to experience in the race itself that I made another step forward."
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