Stannard wins Omloop Het Nieuwsblad

It is the second consecutive year that Ian Stannard has won the Flemish cycling classic that is named after the daily newspaper that sponsors it. Second in the race was the Dutch cyclist Mike Terpstra of the Roompot Oranje Peleton Team.

The Belgians Tom Boonen and Stijn Vandenbergh (both from the Etixx-Quick Step team) came in third and fourth respectively.

Omloop Het Nieuwsblad (previously known as Omloop Het Volk) is a Flemish Classic single day cycle held in East Flanders.
The race was first held in 1945, organised by the Ghent-based newspaper Het Volk in response to Het Nieuwsblad’s race the Tour of Flanders.

The Omloop, with the start and finish in Ghent, uses many of the climbs in the Tour of Flanders and is for that reason often used in preparation for the bigger event.
The race was known as Omloop Het Volk until 2008 when the newspaper Het Volk ceased publication. Since 2009 the race has been known as the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad.

The Omloop Het Nieuwsblad is the opening event on the Belgian cycling calendar. It is characterised by cold weather and short cobbled climbs and comes as a contrast to the training camps of the Italian Riviera or the south of France.