Soren Waerenskjold reflects on 'surreal' Omloop Het Nieuwsblad win - admits he almost did not race first Classic at all
Published 01/03/2025 at 19:55 GMT
Uno X-Mobility's Soren Waerenskjold outsprinted some of the peloton's biggest names to win Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, the season's first Classic, on Saturday. He beat Paul Magnier and Jasper Philipsen with a long-range sprint, but the 24-year-old admitted - as the enormity of his "surreal" achievement sunk in - that he was only a last-minute entry for the first race of the spring campaign.
‘I wasn’t supposed to race’ – Waerenskjold revels in ‘surreal’ win at Omloop
Video credit: TNT Sports
Soren Waerenskjold picked up the biggest win of his fledgling career with victory in Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, the first of the Spring Classics, on Saturday - but he almost did not race at all.
The second Norwegian winner of the race, after Thor Hushovd in 2009, he confirmed that he had only stepped into the Uno X-Mobility squad for Omloop in place of team-mate Markus Hoelgaard, who had intended to ride.
Waerenskjold had instead planned to enter Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne, another cobbled race on Sunday which forms the second part of the traditional Opening Weekend double-header.
"I wasn't supposed to race before tomorrow, since it's more a sprint race tomorrow but with a headwind today it turned out to be a sprint," the 24-year-old said.
"It feels a bit surreal to sit here now, I'm a little bit out of words. Just very happy to take this win.
"Of course, it's the biggest win by far for me. With this peloton, with all the big names, it's a big step for me in the right direction also. I didn't think it would be possible but it turned out to be, it's super nice."
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‘He’s taken that on the line’ – Waerenskjold wins Omloop in dramatic fashion
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Waerenskjold beat talented young sprinter Paul Magnier (Soudal-QuickStep), who had been the recipient of much hype before the race, and one of the peloton's fastest men, Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck), on the line.
"I did the opposite of what was planned, I was planning on going out on the left since I was worried about getting blocked on the right side," he explained of his sprint tactics. "I went to the right first, found an opening to the left, and it just turned out perfect. In the end I was pushing everything I could. I just did my best, it was a great feeling."
He also shared that, having been caught out of position on one of the day's big climbs, he struggled to bridge the gap back into contention.
"I tried to save a bit, I was behind a crash in Molenberg so I tried to close the gap there, but I didn't have the legs," Waerenskjold said. "I wanted to save as much energy as possible. It was hard, but I had the legs to do an okay sprint in the end."
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'She can barely believe it!' - Claes takes surprise win at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad
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Speaking to TNT Sports' Matt Stephens after the race, he added, "If you ask me in the morning then I would be super happy and really excited - I am, but it also feels a bit strange. I have to just let it sink in, celebrate tonight - we will see how it goes but it's a strange feeling.
"I was supposed to be in the second [or] third group trying to save energy if it went to a sprint.
"I didn't know where I was [in the sprint]. So I was just trying to not get blocked, I didn't know how far it was to the finish, I just saw the finish line and thought, now I just go. It was a bit hard, the last 50 metres because I was feeling Paul Magnier coming up on the side, I was like, okay now I'm going to lose. But I was feeling [like] I can hold it off, barely. It was a long sprint but it paid off.
"I think [it] will be Champagne tonight. I'm supposed to race tomorrow, so we will see, but now I can just relax the rest of the Classics season - at least until [Paris-]Roubaix, Roubaix is the next big goal for me."
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Waerenskjold opens up on 'strange feeling' after extraordinary Omloop win
Video credit: TNT Sports
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