1996 Omloop Het Volk ( HC)
This race is now "Omloop Het Nieuwsblad"
50th edition: March 2, 1996
Omloop Het Nieuwsblad podium history | 1995 edition | 1997 edition
Ghent-Lokeren, 205 km / 40.196 km/hr
192 starters / 68 classified finishers
Tom Steels has his head down as he pushes for the line.
The race: The winning break went away with about twenty kilometers to go, after the race had covered a 600-meter stretch of cobbles.
Seven riders had gone clear with Mapei blocking an effective chase by the peloton with tactics that Mapei manager Patrick Lefevere admitted were "brutal".
With 1,500 meters to go, Herman Frison tried his luck, but he was brought back by Wilfried Peeters chasing on behalf of teammate Tom Steels. Others tried their luck, one after another. All were caught.
Edwig van Hooydonck led out the sprint, but winner Tom Steels squeezed through a small hole next to the barriers to win the race.
Complete Results:
| 1 | Tom Steels | Mapei-GB | 5hr 6min |
| 2 | Hendrik Redant | TVM | s.t. |
| 3 | Olaf Ludwig | Deutsche Telekom | s.t. |
| 4 | Herman Frison | Lotto-Isoglass | s.t. |
| 5 | Edwig Van Hooydonck | Rabobank | s.t. |
| 6 | Wilfried Peeters | Mapei-GB | @ 16sec |
| 7 | Ludo Dierckxsens | Tonissteiner-Saxon | 18sec |
| 8 | Jelle Nijdam | TVM | 45sec |
| 9 | Johan Capiot | Collstrop-Lystex | s.t. |
| 10 | Gianluca Pianegonda | Polti | s.t. |
| 11 | Sammie Moreels | Palmans-Boghemans | s.t. |
| 12 | Tristan Hoffman | TVM | s.t. |
| 13 | Laurent Brochard | Festina-Lotus | s.t. |
| 14 | Brian Holm Sørensen | Deutsche Telekom | s.t. |
| 15 | Cédric Vasseur | Gan | s.t. |
| 16 | Francis Moreau | Gan | s.t. |
| 17 | Wiebren Veenstra | Foreldorado-Golff | s.t. |
| 18 | Henk Vogels | Rabobank | s.t. |
| 19 | Danny Daelman | Collstrop-Lystex | s.t. |
| 20 | Michael Blaudzun | Rabobank | s.t. |
| 21 | Luc Roosen | Vlaanderen 2002-Eddy Merckx | s.t. |
| 22 | Mario De Clercq | Palmans-Boghemans | s.t. |
| 23 | Gabriele Missaglia | Panaria-Vinavil | s.t. |
| 24 | Arvis Piziks | Rabobank | s.t. |
| 25 | Geert Van Bondt | Vlaanderen 2002-Eddy Merckx | s.t. |
| 26 | Bert Dietz | Deutsche Telekom | s.t. |
| 27 | Stuart O'Grady | Gan | s.t. |
| 28 | Wim Vansevenant | Vlaanderen 2002-Eddy Merckx | s.t. |
| 29 | Steffen Wesemann | Deutsche Telekom | s.t. |
| 30 | Hans De Meester | Palmans-Boghemans | s.t. |
| 31 | Claude Lamour | Mutuelle de Seine & Marne | s.t. |
| 32 | Erwin Thijs | Vlaanderen 2002-Eddy Merckx | s.t. |
| 33 | Geert Verheyen | Vlaanderen 2002-Eddy Merckx | s.t. |
| 34 | Kurt Van Lancker | Ipso-Asfra | s.t. |
| 35 | Bruno Boscardin | Festina-Lotus | s.t. |
| 36 | Lars Michaelsen | Festina-Lotus | s.t. |
| 37 | Dirk Baldinger | Polti | s.t. |
| 38 | Frédéric Moncassin | Gan | s.t. |
| 39 | Peter Farazijn | Lotto-Isoglass | s.t. |
| 40 | Stéphane Hennebert | Cedico-Ville de Charleroi | s.t. |
| 41 | Wim Feys | Vlaanderen 2002-Eddy Merckx | s.t. |
| 42 | George Hincapie | Motorola | s.t. |
| 43 | Eric Vanderaerden | Palmans-Boghemans | s.t. |
| 44 | Peter Van Petegem | TVM | s.t. |
| 45 | Jesper Skibby | TVM | s.t. |
| 46 | Andrea Peron | Motorola | s.t. |
| 47 | Wim Van de Meulenhof | Zetelhallen-Ysco | s.t. |
| 48 | Cyril Saugrain | Aubervilliers '93 | s.t. |
| 49 | Carlo Bomans | Mapei-GB | s.t. |
| 50 | Viatcheslav Ekimov | Rabobank | s.t. |
| 51 | François Lemarchand | Gan | s.t. |
| 52 | Frank Vandenbroucke | Mapei-GB | s.t. |
| 53 | Franco Ballerini | Mapei-GB | s.t. |
| 54 | Andrei Tchmil | Lotto-Isoglass | s.t. |
| 55 | Wilfried Nelissen | Lotto-Isoglass | s.t. |
| 56 | Robbie Vandaele | Palmans-Boghemans | s.t. |
| 57 | Arnaud Pretot | Gan | s.t. |
| 58 | Sean Yates | Motorola | s.t. |
| 59 | Stephen Hodge | Festina-Lotus | s.t. |
| 60 | Leon Van Bon | Wordperfect | s.t. |
| 61 | Marc Sergeant | Lotto-Isoglass | s.t. |
| 62 | Eric De Clercq | Collstrop-Lystex | s.t. |
| 63 | Johan Museeuw | Mapei-GB | s.t. |
| 64 | Nico Mattan | Lotto-Isoglass | s.t. |
| 65 | Ludwig Willems | Mapei-GB | s.t. |
| 66 | Marc Wauters | Lotto-Isoglass | s.t. |
| 67 | Frank Corvers | Lotto-Isoglass | s.t. |
| 68 | Rolf Sörensen | Rabobank | s.t. |