Two riders are better than one
Vollering and new teammate Franziska Koch attacked the peloton on the Muur (1.1km @ 7.3km, with sections of up to 19.8%), with about 17km left to race, broke away from the peloton, caught what remained of the day’s breakaway (which included teammate Elisa Chabbey) near the top and picked up Niewiadoma-Phinney en route, as Koch dropped away, her job done.
From there, it was a two-woman race to the line, as the formidable duo – who have each one the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift – worked well together to keep at bay the 12 chasers, which included a hard-riding Lorena Wiebes (SD Worx–Protime) as well as Koch and Chabbey, who did their best to slow down the pursuit. As a result, it came down to a sprint, which was easily won by Vollering, who made sure to thank Niewiadoma-Phinney after the finish for all she did to keep the chasers away. Lorena Wiebes (SD Worx–Protime) easily outsprinted her fellow chasers to finish third, at 21 seconds.
“It feels good to finish it off here today,” Vollering said after the race. “It was my own expectation that I would do it, but then to do it makes me proud. The team did a really good job, the whole day at the front, Elise in the breakaway, and then Franzi did the perfect lead-out on the Muur. I almost didn’t do anything myself.
“It didn’t go exactly how we planned it, but that also shows that we really start to understand each other. It’s now my second year in the team, and even if the plan changes a bit, we adjust very quickly. Everybody knows what is expected from them, step in their role, and it’s amazing to see that everybody takes their responsibilities and does their job.”
She went on to describe the decisive latter part of the race. “I was alone on the Muur at first, then Franzi came from the back and did the first part perfectly. We already had a gap, so I just continued as hard as possible. At the top, it was only Kasia left with me, and then it was full gas to the finish.”
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Disappointment and bad luck
For her part, Niewiadoma-Phinney made the best of a disappointing result. “Of course, it’s hard to be again watching the winner just in front of me, but Demi was very strong and super fast at the end,” she said, adding that she was happy to start the Classics season with a podium. “Leading towards the Muur, I didn’t have the best position. There was a crash just before that, so I spent a lot of energy just to get to the front and then make it over. It was a perfect Classic day: chaotic, rainy, windy, cold, so I’m happy that we finished it off with a podium.”
To be fair, the women’s Omloop started several hours after the men’s race and avoided much of the rain. Though parts of the route, and especially the cobblestones, were still slippery, there were fewer crashes and far less chaos than in the men’s Omloop.
Niewiadoma said that she hurt her knee when it hit the handlebars after she dropped a chain before the Muur, which caused her some discomfort. “When your knee hurts, it’s not great, but Demi is very fast and I’m not known to be a sprinter, so for me to win a sprint I need to practice more with my husband [retired US road racer Taylor Phinney] or just go solo,” she said with a laugh.
It was not a great day for SD Worx–Protime and its two stars – and co-favorites in the race – Wiebes and Lotte Kopecky. The latter was gearing up to attack on the Muur when she was caught up in a mass crash with 19km to go, just before the climb. “The girl behind me crashed into my derailleur,” she explained. “I could not shift anymore, so I had to change [bikes]. Luckily, [teammate] Elena Cecchini gave me her bike, but just before the Muur was the worst possible moment.” She meant that the race had just begun in earnest when she was impeded and therefore lost a lot of ground, which was impossible to regain.
“I never came back,” Kopecky said with a wry chuckle. “If you’re not in position on the Muur, then your race is over. If you’re not there, you can be whoever you want [to be], but you don’t manage to come back then.”
After a year to forget, Kopecky is looking to rebound in 2026. To that end, the race wasn’t a total loss as she tested her legs and found them in fine form. “I felt okay,” she noted. “It is always a little bit hectic, the first race, but overall it was a good feeling.” She finished 39th, 1:31 behind Vollering.
Results 2026 Women’s Omloop Nieuwsblad
- Demi Vollering, SD Worx–Protime 03:35:51
- Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney, CANYON//SRAM zondacrypto “
- Lorena Wiebes, SD Worx–Protime +0:21
- Cat Ferguson, Movistar “
- Franziska Koch, FDJ United–SUEZ “
- Karlijn Swinkels, UAE Team ADQ “
- Shari Bossuyt, AG Insurance–Soudal “
- Millie Couzens, Fenix–Premier Tech “
- Nina Berton, EF Education–Oatly “
- Letizia Paternoster, Liv-AlUla-Jayco “
