Gent–Wevelgem – In Flanders Fields 2025

[E_F_]

Every team will bring a sprinter :'(
It could have been so good with no aliens!!

 

[MJR]

I don't see anybody in the men's race strong enough to blow the race apart Pogi- or vdP-style.

So I'm voting Pedersen wins the sprint.

 

[Samu Cuenca]

More center in Belgium I’m gonna have 4 Beaufort for the whole of my Sunday ride. If its like that at the race in these open fields that will be enough for some early action.

First the men’s race?

Yes. The men are expected to finish at around 16:15 and the women 90 minutes later.

 

[Heston]

Pedersen, Jorgenson and Wellens ride away on the hills, Pedersen wins the 3 man sprint.

 

[Ilmaestro99]

Would be really excited for this race if all modern classics riders weren't cowards.

I miss Andre greipel

 

[LesMcLuffAlot]

No one voted for Bini? Clearly the Eritreans haven't discovered this forum.

 

[Potomac]

My Vino Vote: Madis Mihkels

 

[RedheadDane]

So... do we discuss the women's race here as well, or do people want a separate thread?
I don't think there are any name-overlaps between the men's and the women's race that could cause confusion.

 

[SafeBet]

No rain expected?

 

[Pantani_lives]

The conditions are quite favorable for attackers. No rain is expected, but there's a northwest wind, so it will come from the right back in the Moeren and from the left back in the final 30 km.

However most of the top teams have a sprinter as their leader or co-leader, so they might want to keep it together for a sprint. Perhaps people like Joshua Tarling and Florian Vermeersch might try something. Pedersen has two options: attack for himself or pull the sprint for Milan.

 

[Andy262]

Re: llmaestro99: To be fair Sam Bennett gave it the lot here and was never the same since.

 

[Salvarani]

The conditions are quite favorable for attackers. No rain is expected, but there's a northwest wind, so it will come from the right back in the Moeren and from the left back in the final 30 km.

However most of the top teams have a sprinter as their leader or co-leader, so they might want to keep it together for a sprint. Perhaps people like Joshua Tarling and Florian Vermeersch might try something. Pedersen has two options: attack for himself or pull the sprint for Milan.

Would be good for the race if a group of some strong riders can get a gap and try ride to the finish together, with peloton chasing behind. It would be entertaining to watch such scenario.

Wind and echelons could make it a hard race though.

 

[tobydawq]

So... do we discuss the women's race here as well

No we don't.

 

[Devil's Elbow]

How many teams will actually ride for a sprint, though? If we look at the four big-name sprinters, Alpecin will ride for sure, Soudal too if Merlier is sufficiently recovered but they don't have much firepower, but Visma's odds are arguably better in a small group with Jorgenson/Benoot than with Kooij and Lidl would be fools to have Milan as their plan A when they have the best classics team in the race. Everyone else has awful odds in a sprint against those four and really shouldn't be doing a lot of work, or at least not until the final Kemmelberg is done. Add in the favourable wind conditions and the fact that every single classics rider here knows that this is their best opportunity of the whole season and I don't think the odds for the sprinters are anywhere near as good as the consensus seems to be.

 

[Brullnux]

So have they decided to never again host this race in Gent?

 

[tobydawq]

How can Cees Bol ride this race if he broke his wrist eleven days ago? That seems completely absurd.

 

[RedheadDane]

One of these is not like the others!

Competitors born within 100 km of today's route.

Rider	Place of birth	KM from route
VERCOUILLIE Victor	Kortrijk	4
VERMOTE Julien	Kortrijk	4
BENNETT Sam	Wervik	4
VAN LERBERGHE Bert	Kortrijk	4

As you can see, he was born in Wervik, not Kortrijk.

 

[Samu Cuenca]

One of these is not like the others!

Competitors born within 100 km of today's route.

Rider	Place of birth	KM from route
VERCOUILLIE Victor	Kortrijk	4
VERMOTE Julien	Kortrijk	4
BENNETT Sam	Wervik	4
VAN LERBERGHE Bert	Kortrijk	4

As you can see, he was born in Wervik, not Kortrijk.

You don't need to wear sunglasses to spot that

 

[QueenStagiaire]

You don't need to wear sunglasses to spot that

There was a partial solar eclipse yesterday, maybe RhD saw it and hasn’t taken the glasses off.

 

[Devil's Elbow]

How can Cees Bol ride this race if he broke his wrist eleven days ago? That seems completely absurd.

Reminiscent of when Capiot was put back into the classics season ten days after breaking his collarbone last year and publicly criticised his team for it.

 

[Devil's Elbow]

UAE having a rider in the break could be important somewhere down the line.

 

[RedheadDane]

There was a partial solar eclipse yesterday, maybe RhD saw it and hasn’t taken the glasses off.

It's coolness!

 

[tobydawq]

Reminiscent of when Capiot was put back into the classics season ten days after breaking his collarbone last year and publicly criticised his team for it.

Yes, but a collarbone break usually doesn't take more than a week before you can try again.

A wrist injury - at least famous ones like those of me and Tadej - requires five weeks in a cast. But it's probably a different bone Bol has broken. Still odd, I would say, as the problem with wrists is the lack of blood supply, which makes healing a slow process.

 

[RedheadDane]

A wrist injury - at least famous ones like those of me and Tadej - requires five weeks in a cast.

Both very famous.

 

[Samamba]

Yes, but a collarbone break usually doesn't take more than a week before you can try again.

A wrist injury - at least famous ones like those of me and Tadej - requires five weeks in a cast. But it's probably a different bone Bol has broken. Still odd, I would say, as the problem with wrists is the lack of blood supply, which makes healing a slow process.

Pretty sure he "broke" his hand, not his wrist. And that probably means some small bone in his hand that isn't very important.