Cycling news - Jasper Stuyven delivers Belgium win at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad

Updated 29/02/2020 at 16:27 GMT

Jasper Stuyven (Trek-Segafredo) took the biggest victory of his career in a bruising Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, the opening race of the Spring Classics season.

Jasper Stuyven (Trek). Het Nieuwsblad 2020

Image credit: Getty Images

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Stuyven emerged victorious from a three-man front group, pipping Yves Lampaert (Deceuninck-QuickStep) in a sprint finish after distancing Soren Kragh Andersen (Sunweb).

Stuyven pips Lampaert for Omloop glory

Omloop Het Nieuwsblad

Omloop Het Nieuwsblad Highlights: Stuyven claims biggest win of his career

00:02:57

29/02/2020 at 21:34

The 199.8-kilometre journey from Gent to Ninove promised to be unpredictable after favourite Mathieu van der Poel withdrew unexpectedly with flu on Thursday.

And there was drama from the start as the early breakaway’s charge was halted by a train crossing, with the race eventually coming back together at the halfway mark.

An eight-strong group then pulled clear with 74 kilometres remaining, pouncing after two-time champion Greg van Avermaet (CCC) aborted a solo break at the foot of the Rekelberg.

Eight became seven when Jonas Rutsch (EF Pro Cycling) fell away, leaving Stuyven, Lampaert, Kragh Andersen, Frederik Frison (Lotto-Soudal), Tim Declerq (Deceuninck-QuickStep), Matteo Trentin (CCC) and Mike Teunissen (Jumbo-Visma) to press on.

Breakaway group stopped by train

The leaders turned a fierce pace, building a gap of over two minutes as the peloton squabbled over a possible pursuit, leaving the previous winners stranded in the main bunch.

Stuyven and Lampaert rode clear on the penultimate climb up the picturesque Muur-Kapelmuur and were soon joined by Kragh Andersen with 17 kilometres remaining.

Still the pace did not relent as Stuyven and Lampaert exchanged turns at the front, sucking along a spent Kragh Andersen who was eventually dropped inside the final two kilometres.

And it was Stuyven who prevailed, leading out from the front for sprint success ahead of Lampaert in a Belgian one-two.