The first part of the race takes place on flat en and exposed roads before the riders enter a section with a series of hills and three unpaved roads within 63 kilometres. The last 34 kilometres are played out on exposed roads again, where crosswinds and echelons are imminent.
Weather conditions are beyond anyone’s control, but teams can, of course, influence the race’s intensity by taking the initiative. Defending champion Mads Pedersen, for instance, would like to see his team pushing the pace in the hilly zones and on the unpaved sections to tire the pure sprinters. And should it come down to a sprint, Lidl-Trek always has Jonathan Milan as a backup option.
Last year, Pedersen and Mathieu van der Poel were powering on in the hills and on the plugstreets. Ultimately, they crested the final climb, the Kemmelberg, together, with Laurence Pithie as the first chaser. The young New Zealander was unable to bridge the gap, and the two former world champions sprinted in Wevelgem for the victory.
Still active riders who have secured victories in Gent-Wevelgem are John Degenkolb (2014), Alexander Kristoff (2019), Mads Pedersen (2020, 2024), Wout van Aert (2021), Biniam Girmay (2022), and Christophe Laporte (2023). With three wins, Peter Sagan holds the record for the most victories, so a triumph by Pedersen would see him equal the Slovak.
It’s been some time since Gent-Wevelgem last concluded with a bunch sprint – in 2019, when Kristoff claimed victory.
This season’s Flemish Classics have seen successes from Søren Wærenskjold (Omloop Het Nieuwsblad), Jasper Philipsen (Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne), Nils Eekhoff (Nokere Koerse), Sebastián Molano (Brugge-De Panne), and Mathieu van der Poel (E3 Saxo Classic). European champion Tim Merlier has also been in fine form, winning two stages each in the AlUla Tour, UAE Tour, and Paris-Nice, while Jonathan Milan impressed with two stage wins in both the UAE Tour and Tirreno-Adriatico, along with a victory in the Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana. Olav Kooij has also performed well, securing a stage win in Tirreno-Adriatico and two in the Tour of Oman. Defending champion Pedersen added a Paris-Nice stage win to his palmarès.
Last Wednesday, Merlier, Philipsen, and Kooij were involved in crashes during the finale of Brugge-De Panne. Their recovery and readiness for Gent-Wevelgem remain to be seen.
Favourites 2025 Gent-Wevelgem
***** Mads Pedersen, Jasper Philipsen, Tim Merlier
**** Olav Kooij, Jonathan Milan, Michael Matthews
*** Biniam Girmay, Jasper Stuyven, Laurence Pithie
** Tim Wellens, Jordi Meeus, Ben Turner, Paul Magnier
* Arnaud De Lie, Mathias Vacek, Søren Wærenskjold, Iván Romeo
Another top-notch preview of the favourites! Can you make a link from the Tour Tracker app to your website here? I prefer to read your race previews on my laptop rather than on the app. Thanks!
Or friends at Tour Tracker told us that they installed a link, so that should be possible now.