Omloop Het Volk

Cycling race infobox
name = Omloop Het Volk
color = #AAD0FF


date = Late February
region = Flanders, Belgium
english = Circuit of the People
localnames = Omloop Het Volk nl icon
nickname =
discipline = Road
competition = UCI Europe Tour
type = One-day race
organiser =
director =
first = 1945
number = 59 (as of 2007)
last =
firstwinner = flagicon|BEL Jean Bogaerts
mostwins = 3 wins:
flagicon|BEL Ernest Sterckx
flagicon|BEL Joseph Bruyere
flagicon|BEL Peter Van Petegem
mostrecent = flagicon|BEL Phillippe Gilbert

Omloop Het Volk (often just called Het Volk) was a European semi classic single day cycle race held in the Belgian province of East Flanders.

The organising newspaper, Het Volk stopped publishing in 2008. The race will now be known as Ghent-Ghent, the title which other papers gave it to avoid publicising a rival.

Ghent-Ghent is the opening event on the Belgian cycling calendar and is usually held on the last Saturday in February or the first in March. 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.

The race was first held in 1945, organised by the newspaper "Het Volk" in response to "Het Nieuwsblad"’s Classic Ronde van Vlaanderen. Ghent-Ghent uses many of the climbs in the Ronde and is preparation for the bigger event. .

The weather

The race has been affected by snow. The organisers rely on weather forecasts and adjust the course if the cobbled climbs are deemed unsafe. Snow fell the night before the 1955, 1974 and 1988races but they were still run. The 1971 race was postponed due to snow and run three weeks later on Thursday 26 March when the GP Pino Cerami moved to another date. There was a thaw on the afternoon of the original date and the following day's Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne went ahead.

The 1986 edition was cancelled because of snow. It was not run later.

In 2004 race organiser Wim Van Herreweghe said: "The safety of the riders could not be guaranteed, the snow and freezing cold made the route too dangerous." The race was cancelled.

The 1960 race was also cancelled but due to a disagreement between the organisers and ruling body, the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI). The UCI had given better dates to other Belgian races and Het Volk ababdoned the race in protest.

History

Belgians have dominated the race,aided by large, supportive crowds, and comfortable with cobbles and the cold. In 60 editions, there have been only three winners from outside northern Europe: the Italians Franco Ballerini, Michele Bartoli and Filippo Pozzato. Another Italian, Fausto Coppi won in 19848 but was disqualified for taking a wheel from the Belgian Walschott, who was not of his team. [The rules allowed assistance fromonly team-mates.

The record for wins is three, held by Joseph Bruyère (1974, 1975 and 1980), Ernest Sterckx (1952, 1953 and 1956) and Peter van Petegem (1997, 1998 and 2002). Bruyère has the fastest speed (43.35 kmh) for 1975.

Other winners includeEddy Merckx, Roger De Vlaeminck, Freddy Maertens and Johan Museeuw. Dutchman Jan Raas won in 1981 after finishing second in 1977, third in 1978, second in 1979 and fourth in 1980.

The route

Het Volk started and finished in Ghent between 1945 and 1995. In 1996 to 2007 the conclusion of the race was at Lokeren, 20km north east.

In 2008 the race finished in Ghent with 11 climbs and 16km of cobbles in 199km The start is outside Ghent's Museum of Contemporary Art, the first 70km is flat before 40km including five short, sharp climbs and one cobbled sector. Another flat part is followed by 55km which includes the cobbled sectors of Donderij and Hof ter Fiennestraat and the climbs of the Oud Kruisberg, Taaienberg, Eikenberg and the Wolvenberg. The Molenberg is the final climb 39km from the finish and this short climb which averages almost 10% in gradient can be the launching point for a winning break. The race finishes in the centre of Ghent on the thoroughfare of Charles de Kerchovelaan in front of the Citadelpark. [http://www.cyclingnews.com/news.php?id=news/2007/nov07/nov23news www.cyclingnews.com.] Gives details of new route.] [http://www.sportwereld.be/Article/Detail.aspx?articleID=DMF22112007_103 www.sportwereld.be.] Gives details of new route.]

References and footnotes

* "European Cycling - The 20 Greatest Races" by Noel Henderson (1989) ISBN 0-941950-20-4.Footnotes

External links

* [http://omloop.sportwereld.be] Official Site in Dutch.

Winners

Winners womens race