Gent - Wevelgem 2019: Power sprint brings Kristoff Classics win

Strong winds, cobbles, dirt roads, short and sharp climbs - Gent Wevelgem 2019 is exciting from the start. Following 251,5 kilometres of tense and exciting racing Alexander Kristoff powers to victory. (Slideshow route/profile)

Results Gent-Wevelgem 2019

1. Alexander Kristoff (nor)
2. John Degenkolb (ger) s.t.
3. Oliver Naesen (bel) s.t.
4. Mathieu van der Poel (nld) s.t.
5. Danny van Poppel (nld) s.t.
6. Adrien Petit (fra) s.t.
7. Matteo Trentin (ita) s.t.
8. Rüdiger Selig (ger) s.t.
9. Matej Mohoric (slo) s.t.
10. Jens Debusschere (bel) s.t.

Race report
Following a fast first hour with an average speed of 51 km/h the peloton breaks. An elite group with Sagan, Ackermann, Selig, Declercq, Trentin, Van Aert, Wynants, Teunissen, Van der Hoorn, Van Poppel, Rowe, Bol, Degenkolb, Pedersen, Stuyven, Theuns, Gaviria, Van der Poel, Terpstra and Van Schip takes shape. Van Poppel suffers a mechanical and his team mate Van der Hoorn waits for him. Which proves to be a bad choice as they don’t make it back.

The second hour is even faster: 54.5 km/h.

The lead group continues to race approximately 1 minute ahead of the main group for the first few hours, but it falls to half a minute on the first climb over the Kemmelberg. Van Aert, Van der Poel, Terpstra, Trentin, Sagan, Gaviria, Bol, Rowe, Pedersen, Teunissen, Stuyven and Theuns are the last men standing.

Theuns and Teunissen strike with almost 70 kilometres to go, while Sagan and Trentin jump across. The other riders wait for what’s left of the peloton.

On the dirt roads the four are 40 seconds clear. Rowe goes after them to catch the join group with 44 kilometres remaining. Kristoff also tries to bridge across.

On the last hill, Kemmelberg, Van Aert and Stybar attack in the chase group and they gobble up Kristoff. But it is in vain as their former companions rejoin them on the flat section to Yper.

In Yper itself the lead of the five is hovering around half a minute, but the riders regroup inside the last 18 kilometres. Terpstra strikes with 15 kilometres remaining, but Jumbo Visma brings him back.

Jasper Stuyven opens up a gap 6 kilometres before the finish, while Jack Bauer, Sebastian Langeveld and Amund Grøndahl Jansen join him. The four are brought back in the last kilometre before Alexander Kristoff opens up the sprint. The strong Norwegian outguns John Degenkolb and Oliver Naesen.

Other interesting reads: route and start list Gent-Wevelgem 2019.