NINOVE: Norway`s Soren Waerenskjold won the season opening Omloop Het NieuwsbladBelgian cycling classic on Saturday when the 197km race over 11 hills came down to a bunch sprint.

The 24-year-old had been entirely under the radar but beat off Jasper Philipsen and needed a photo-finish to get ahead of Quick-Step`s French tyro Paul Magnier, with Philipsen third.

Pre-race favourite Wout Van Aert of the Visma team finished in lith but was unable to produce a sprint to rival the strong finishing Waerenskjold.

Van Aert, who registered the same time as the winner on a day featuring 35kph winds, can try his luck again on Sunday at Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne.

The East Flanders classic named after the Belgian newspapar Het Nieuwsblad was won in the past three years by Visma, with last year`s champion Jan Tratnik now with Bora getting caught out in a split Saturday.

A seven rider break made up of minor figures took a lead of over five minutes as the peloton rushed out of Gent towards Ninove along a route scattered with cobbled sections.-AFP