The peloton gathered in Ghent for the opening race of the Flemish spring: Omloop Het Nieuwsblad. The riders faced a total of eleven climbs and seven cobbled sections. Team Visma | Lease a Bike had won the last three editions of the classic.  

After the start, the peloton immediately allowed a group of seven riders to build a significant lead. Team Visma | Lease a Bike took responsibility in the chase. After a cautious opening phase, the tension increased. Just past the halfway point, the crucial climbs came in quick succession. The first acceleration in the peloton occurred about sixty kilometers from the finish. Matthew Brennan, the 19-year-old British talent from Team Visma | Lease a Bike, attacked on the Eikenberg, but he was given no space.  

Shortly afterwards, Jorgenson was alert when the peloton split in two on the Molenberg. He was part of a large group that reeled in the early breakaway. Among those in the chasing group were Van Aert and Benoot. The Team Visma | Lease a Bike duo managed to bridge the gap just before the Kapelmuur and the Bosberg, the final two climbs of the day.  

However, no decisive moves were made on these iconic climbs. A large group headed toward the finish in Ninove. Swiss rider Stefan Küng attempted to avoid a sprint finish, but thanks in part to the efforts of Benoot and Jorgenson, the main group caught up. In the bunch sprint, Van Aert ultimately had to settle for eleventh place. The victory was for Søren Wærenskjold.  

"I was chasing all day" Van Aert said afterward. "I wasn’t in a good position during the race. I didn’t have the legs, which meant I was never in the right place. Despite that, we kept managing to return to the front. Many teams had missed the decisive move. In the end, I approached the sprint with too little confidence. I didn’t feel fresh anymore. Luckily, there’s another opportunity tomorrow in Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne."  

Sports director Grischa Niermann also reflected on the race. "We didn’t ride the race we had envisioned. Our plan was to make the race hard and to put the others under pressure. We have to accept that we weren’t strong enough for that today. At the crucial moments, we were just a bit too far back. Of course, we would have loved to win here for the fourth consecutive time, but our focus is already on tomorrow.”