2022 Omloop Het Nieuwsblad Odds: Will Van Aert Win the First Classics of the Season?

By: Eniko

Posted: February 25, 2022

Updated: February 25, 2022

The 2022 Omloop Het Nieuwsblad is held this Saturday, 26th of February
It is part of the Opening Weekend along with Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne
Wout Van Aert is the main favorite in the absence of van der Poel and Alaphilippe

Picture taken at the ’16 Omlopp Het Nieuwsblad – Image source: Jérémy-Günther-Heinz Jähnick / Gent – Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, 27 februari 2016 (B05) / Wikimedia Commons

The 2022 Omloop Het Nieuwsblad is held this weekend, on the 26th of February in the usual location, in the Flemish Ardennes. QuickStep rider Davide Ballerini won the race last year. The Belgian top cyclist, Wout Van Aert is the top favorite this year according to the 2022 Omloop Het Nieuwsblad odds. But Tom Pidcock, Jasper Stuyven, and other top riders can also go for the win in Belgium.

The one-day classics of the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne usually sign the opening of the European cycling season. Even though fans could already watch some great tournaments this year, these Belgian races still have special significance in the calendar. They offer a great opportunity for cyclists to compete ahead of the biggest one-day races like Paris-Nice or Strade Bianche. No wonder it attracts lots of top riders like Wout Van Aert and Tom Pidcock. Former race winners will also compete such as Greg Van Avermaet, Zdenek Stybar, and Jasper Stuyven. But the defending champion, Italian Davide Ballerini will skip the event this year. The race will have 13 climbs in 2022 along with nine cobbled sections, starting from Gent and finishing in Ninove after a 204 km route.

2022 Omloop Het Nieuwsblad odds favor Van Aert

Wout Van Aert will start his season at this race, and he is already the biggest favorite to win it by online sportsbooks in Belgium. The Jumbo-Visma rider has won several one-day classics like the Milan-San Remo, the Strade Bianche, or the Gent-Wevelgem. He has also competed at the Omloop before, finishing 11th in 2020. Van Aert ended his cyclo-cross season earlier this year to perform better on road. With the support of his new teammates, Tiesj Benoot and Christophe Laporte the Belgian has the odds of 3.00 to win on home soil.

In the absence of Mathieu van der Poel, Tom Pidcock can be Van Aert’s biggest rival. The Ineos cyclist won the Brabantse Pijl last year and finished third in the Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne race. While he also won this year’s Cyclo-cross World Championships, however Van Aert and van der Poel missed the event. Now the young British rider will aim for a good result in the Flandrian race where he only finished 55th last year. WIth the 2022 Omloop Het Nieuwsblad odds offering the odds of 8.80 for his victory.

2022 Omloop Het Nieuwsblad odds — Gent, 2016, Omloop Het Nieuwsblad – Image source: Jérémy-Günther-Heinz Jähnick / *Gent – Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, 27 februari 2016 (B18)* / Wikimedia Commons

Former race winners and other great cyclists in other favorites

QuickStep seems to have the strongest team in the race even though Julian Alaphilippe won’t do the cobbles this year. We can still find several great riders in the team like the 2021 Tour of Flanders winner Kasper Asgreen. Or former Omloop winner Zdenek Stybar and former runner-up Yves Lampaert. But online gambling sites in Belgium offer even smaller odds for the victory of their teammate, Florian Senechal. The French cyclist was close to winning his first classics in the last few years, but he could only finish as a runner-up. Now his odds to get his first classics win are 12.00.

The 2020 Omloop winner Jasper Stuyven is also mentioned in the favorites with the odds of 13.00. The Trek-Segafredo rider has also won the Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne and the Mian-San Remo races before, making him a great one-day specialist. The 2021 Paris-Roubaix winner Sonny Colbrelli can get the win for Bahrain (21.00). While Peter Sagan will make his first one-day appearance in his new team, TotalEnergies. The Slovakian cyclist finished twice as a runner-up here besides winning several other one-day classics. Now his odds to finish on top are 26.00. Two-time Omloop winner Greg Van Avermaet’s victory would be a surprise now and has the odds of 34.00 on 22Bet. But along with his AG2R teammate, Oliver Naesen, they can fight for a top finish.