Gent-Wevelgem 2026, March 29

[dobrien]

Unless someone pulls a Devolderke

But who will be Devolder's Boonen, sitting on and discouraging chasers? There is no equivalent this time around.

 

[awavey]

Is there a woman's race thread?

in the lesser known road racing for womens thread...

 

[dobrien]

After seeing his ankle cave in whichever Christmas cross race that was, I didn't expect he's have any form by this point in the season.

Totally agree; his return to this kind of form so soon is wonderful to see.

 

[KoopaCycling]

But who will be Devolder's Boonen, sitting on and discouraging chasers? There is no equivalent this time around.

Pogacar

I doubt Vermeersch gets a free role though

 

[RedheadDane]

Is there a woman's race thread?

Only the Lesser Known Races one.

 

[Heston]

Pogacar

I doubt Vermeersch gets a free role though

Why wouldnt he? Pogacar will win by 2 minutes anyway

 

[KoopaCycling]

Why wouldnt he? Pogacar will win by 2 minutes anyway

Probably. But in the unlikely and never happening event that vermeersch gets 2 minutes for free and Pogacar can't immediately shake the others. Maybe Pogacar blocks like Boonen. This scenario will never happen.
But the thought alone will probably end more interesting than the actual race.

 

[search]

All Kemmelberg times, if anyone is interested:

Spoiler

1. Mathieu VAN DER POEL (NED) – APT – 00:01:45
2. Wout VAN AERT (BEL) – TVL – 00:01:46 (+1)
3. Florian VERMEERSCH (BEL) – UAE – 00:01:56 (+11)
4. Jenno BERCKMOES (BEL) – LOI – 00:01:57 (+12)
5. Laurence PITHIE (NZL) – RBH – 00:01:58 (+13)
6. Thibaud GRUEL (FRA) – GFC – 00:01:58 (+13)
7. Alec SEGAERT (BEL) – TBV – 00:01:59 (+14)
8. Christophe LAPORTE (FRA) – TVL – 00:01:59 (+14)
9. Jasper STUYVEN (BEL) – SOQ – 00:02:00 (+15)
10. Tobias LUND ANDRESEN (DEN) – DCT – 00:02:00 (+15)
11. Jordi MEEUS (BEL) – RBH – 00:02:01 (+16)
12. Davide BALLERINI (ITA) – XAT – 00:02:01 (+16)
13. Cees BOL (NED) – DCT – 00:02:02 (+17)
14. Matteo TRENTIN (ITA) – TUD – 00:02:03 (+18)
15. Luca MOZZATO (ITA) – TUD – 00:02:04 (+19)
16. Gianni VERMEERSCH (BEL) – RBH – 00:02:04 (+19)
17. Jonas ABRAHAMSEN (NOR) – UXM – 00:02:05 (+20)
18. Sam WATSON (GBR) – IGD – 00:02:05 (+20)
19. Luke LAMPERTI (USA) – EFE – 00:02:06 (+21)
20. Nils POLITT (GER) – UAE – 00:02:06 (+21)
21. Biniam GIRMAY (ERI) – NSN – 00:02:06 (+21)
22. Oliver NAESEN (BEL) – DCT – 00:02:07 (+22)
23. Matej MOHORIC (SLO) – TBV – 00:02:07 (+22)
24. Mathias VACEK (CZE) – LTK – 00:02:07 (+22)
25. Daan HOOLE (NED) – DCT – 00:02:08 (+23)
26. Florian SENECHAL (FRA) – APT – 00:02:08 (+23)
27. Arnaud DE LIE (BEL) – LOI – 00:02:09 (+24)
28. Arjen LIVYNS (BEL) – XAT – 00:02:09 (+24)
29. Kasper ASGREEN (DEN) – EFE – 00:02:09 (+24)
30. Mike TEUNISSEN (NED) – XAT – 00:02:09 (+24)
31. Carlos CANAL (ESP) – MOV – 00:02:09 (+24)
32. Robert DONALDSON (GBR) – JAY – 00:02:09 (+24)
33. Anthony TURGIS (FRA) – TEN – 00:02:09 (+24)
34. Lewis ASKEY (GBR) – NSN – 00:02:10 (+25)
35. John DEGENKOLB (GER) – TPP – 00:02:10 (+25)
36. Jonas GEENS (BEL) – APT – 00:02:10 (+25)
37. Axel HUENS (FRA) – GFC – 00:02:10 (+25)
38. Thomas GACHIGNARD (FRA) – TEN – 00:02:11 (+26)
39. Hugo HOFSTETTER (FRA) – NSN – 00:02:12 (+27)
40. Huub ARTZ (NED) – LOI – 00:02:12 (+27)
41. Tim VAN DIJKE (NED) – RBH – 00:02:12 (+27)
42. Brent VAN MOER (BEL) – PQT – 00:02:13 (+28)
43. Søren KRAGH ANDERSEN (DEN) – LTK – 00:02:13 (+28)
44. Filippo GANNA (ITA) – IGD – 00:02:13 (+28)
45. Yevgeniy FEDOROV (KAZ) – XAT – 00:02:14 (+29)
46. Dries DE BONDT (BEL) – JAY – 00:02:14 (+29)
47. Frits BIESTERBOS (NED) – TPP – 00:02:14 (+29)
48. Aimé DE GENDT (BEL) – PQT – 00:02:14 (+29)
49. Jonathan MILAN (ITA) – LTK – 00:02:14 (+29)
50. Luca GIAIMI (ITA) – UAE – 00:02:14 (+29)
51. Hartthijs DE VRIES (NED) – URR – 00:02:14 (+29)
52. Jakob SÖDERQVIST (SWE) – LTK – 00:02:14 (+29)
53. Wessel MOURIS (NED) – URR – 00:02:15 (+30)
54. Michael VALGREN (DEN) – EFE – 00:02:15 (+30)
55. Søren WÆRENSKJOLD (NOR) – UXM – 00:02:15 (+30)
56. Hugo PAGE (FRA) – COF – 00:02:16 (+31)
57. Jon BARRENETXEA (ESP) – MOV – 00:02:17 (+32)
58. Tim MARSMAN (NED) – APT – 00:02:17 (+32)
59. Kim Alexander HEIDUK (GER) – IGD – 00:02:18 (+33)
60. Lukáš KUBIŠ (SVK) – URR – 00:02:18 (+33)
61. Edward THEUNS (BEL) – LTK – 00:02:19 (+34)
62. Julius JOHANSEN (DEN) – UAE – 00:02:19 (+34)
63. Alessandro BORGO (ITA) – TBV – 00:02:19 (+34)
64. Mick VAN DIJKE (NED) – RBH – 00:02:19 (+34)
65. Matis LOUVEL (FRA) – NSN – 00:02:20 (+35)
66. Sandy DUJARDIN (FRA) – TEN – 00:02:20 (+35)
67. Joshua TARLING (GBR) – IGD – 00:02:21 (+36)
68. Mikkel Norsgaard BJERG (DEN) – UAE – 00:02:21 (+36)
69. Clément RUSSO (FRA) – GFC – 00:02:21 (+36)
70. Paul PENHOET (FRA) – GFC – 00:02:22 (+37)
71. Jan TRATNIK (SLO) – RBH – 00:02:22 (+37)
72. Orluis AULAR (VEN) – MOV – 00:02:23 (+38)
73. Matthew BRENNAN (GBR) – TVL – 00:02:24 (+39)
74. Rui OLIVEIRA (POR) – UAE – 00:02:24 (+39)
75. Milan FRETIN (BEL) – COF – 00:02:24 (+39)
76. Jonas RUTSCH (GER) – LOI – 00:02:25 (+40)
77. Lorenzo MILESI (ITA) – MOV – 00:02:25 (+40)
78. Erik Nordsaeter RESELL (NOR) – UXM – 00:02:25 (+40)
79. Pavel BITTNER (CZE) – TPP – 00:02:25 (+40)
80. Luka MEZGEC (SLO) – JAY – 00:02:25 (+40)
81. Florian DAUPHIN (FRA) – TEN – 00:02:25 (+40)
82. Tim Torn TEUTENBERG (GER) – LTK – 00:02:25 (+40)
83. Stefan BISSEGGER (SUI) – DCT – 00:02:25 (+40)
84. Tom VAN ASBROECK (BEL) – NSN – 00:02:25 (+40)
85. Rasmus TILLER (NOR) – UXM – 00:02:26 (+41)
86. Johan JACOBS (SUI) – GFC – 00:02:26 (+41)
87. Samuel LEROUX (FRA) – TEN – 00:02:26 (+41)
88. Emils LIEPINS (LAT) – PQT – 00:02:27 (+42)
89. Aaron GATE (NZL) – XAT – 00:02:27 (+42)
90. Cedric BEULLENS (BEL) – LOI – 00:02:27 (+42)
91. Owain DOULL (GBR) – TVL – 00:02:27 (+42)
92. Arthur KLUCKERS (LUX) – TUD – 00:02:27 (+42)
93. Steffen DE SCHUYTENEER (BEL) – LOI – 00:02:27 (+42)
94. Tim REX (BEL) – TVL – 00:02:27 (+42)
95. Sébastien GRIGNARD (BEL) – LOI – 00:02:28 (+43)
96. William Blume LEVY (DEN) – UXM – 00:02:28 (+43)
97. Niklas MÄRKL (GER) – TPP – 00:02:28 (+43)
98. Julius VAN DEN BERG (NED) – TPP – 00:02:28 (+43)
99. Silvan DILLIER (SUI) – APT – 00:02:29 (+44)
100. Pau MIQUEL (ESP) – TBV – 00:02:30 (+45)
101. Brem DEMAN (BEL) – TFB – 00:02:30 (+45)
102. Marco HALLER (AUT) – TUD – 00:02:30 (+45)
103. Bastien TRONCHON (FRA) – GFC – 00:02:31 (+46)
104. Petr KELEMEN (CZE) – TUD – 00:02:31 (+46)
105. Edoardo AFFINI (ITA) – TVL – 00:02:32 (+47)
106. Jonathan VERVENNE (BEL) – SOQ – 00:02:34 (+49)
107. Mathias NORSGAARD (DEN) – LTK – 00:02:36 (+51)
108. Sander DE PESTEL (BEL) – DCT – 00:02:37 (+52)
109. Guillaume BOIVIN (CAN) – NSN – 00:02:39 (+54)
110. Victor VERCOUILLIE (BEL) – TFB – 00:02:44 (+59)
111. Camille CHARRET (FRA) – COF – 00:02:51 (+1:06)
112. Joren BLOEM (NED) – URR – 00:03:36 (+1:51)

those missing probably changed bikes before.

 

[Red Rick]

30	van Aert Wout	Team Visma | Lease a Bike	20	5	,,
35	van der Poel Mathieu	Alpecin-Premier Tech	10	5	,,

The moral victory is real

 

[fenns]

good to see Wout coming back to his best - he's suffered in part from being a workhorse for Rabobank - whereas MVDP has had more freedom to pursue his own targets. But Wout's fabulously well remunerated so I can't feel sorry for him

 

[search]

Yeah Milan mechanical right after Lamperti

in the German post race interview, Degenkolb said that there was a large pothole the peloton went through towards the left of the road with ~15k to go, leading to several mechanicals. He only names Biesterbos, but I guess Milan and Lamperti were victims of that as well then.

 

[yaco]

What should he have done differently in this case?

He continually does too work with stronger riders.

 

[yaco]

Bob Donaldson top 5 the new Matthews!!!

Well O'BRIEN once did a top ten in Dwaars and has never been seen again. Hope history does not repeat.

 

[ashhutch1997]

Great race, got to love Ganna closing the gap so Ben Watson could get 17th.

 

[jono]

He continually does too work with stronger riders.

That wasn't an issue. He didn't do any turns while Johansen was still in the group, and then a few token pulls only in the handful of minutes before he was dropped on Kemmelberg.

 

[Red Rick]

So for de Ronde, the only hope for a competitive race is perfect 18/18 weather without a breeze with 4 bft+ block headwind from all directions.

 

[Krzysztof_O]

So for de Ronde, the only hope for a competitive race is perfect 18/18 weather without a breeze with 4 bft+ block headwind from all directions.

Almighty Rick, as always, enlightens mere mortals of this forum and builds anticipation for races.

 

[awavey]

no fractures on initial scans confirmed for Ben Turner, back with team to recover

 

[Panda Claws]

Nice 21st place by Girmay ...

 

[Didinho]

Meeus was angry with Laporte after the finish. He said he pushed him into the barriers and changed his lane. Meeus lost his balance and clipped out, luckily no crash but he couldn’t even sprint.

 

[VanBsr]

Don't think that's relevant.

Oops.. sorry

 

[jono]

Meeus was angry with Laporte after the finish. He said he pushed him into the barriers and changed his lane. Meeus lost his balance and clipped out, luckily no crash but he couldn’t even sprint.

Could easily have been a DSQ.

 

[Valv.Piti]

Whack race, everybody wanted to see MVDP and WVA sprint against each other and instead a random Italian ruined it for everyone

 

[Zoetemelk-fan]

In a way, I can... kinda understand the name-change. Makes sense that Middelkerke, the town that pays the bill for hosting the start, would want to have their name be part of the race-name, but why not simply re-name the race "Middelkerke-Wevelgem"? It's the spelling out the "from" and "to" part of the name that makes it seem... rather clunky.

Tough for the host city to pay high bills for a nothingburger title.
What about "Ronde de schattige Middelkerke"?
But ok, my head would probably forget all about it on the calendar next year and still be looking for Ghent-Wevelgem.

 

[Wyndbrook]

Race should finish at the Menin Gate instead.