A strong and motivated team will be at the start of Sunday’s race.
One of the longest one-day races of the year, Gent-Wevelgem will once again start from Ypres and finish on the Vanackerestraat, in Wevelgem. The prestigious classic, which is set to run its 87th edition this weekend, comes with plenty of challenges that the riders will need to overcome on their road to glory.
The famous De Moeren, the tricky plugstreets, Monteberg, Baneberg, Scherpenberg and the legendary Kemmelberg – a climb synonymous with Gent-Wevelgem, featuring three times on the route – are the many hurdles of the 250.3km race. The final ascent of the Kemmelberg comes more than 30 kilometers from the finish, thus giving the sprinters plenty of time to come back, on paper at least, because the way things will unfold could be influenced by other factors, such as the strong wind or the bad weather.
Yves Lampaert, Luke Lamperti, Omloop Het Nieuwsblad runner-up Paul Magnier, European Champion Tim Merlier – who so far this season has racked up six victories – Bert Van Lerberghe, Warre Vangheluwe and Louis Vervaeke are the seven Soudal Quick-Step riders who will pin on a number Sunday morning for the 12th World Tour race of the season.
“We all know that Gent-Wevelgem is a very tough race, with the climbs and the gravel sectors. We could have a lot of wind, which can completely change the race. We have a strong team, featuring many riders who are experienced on these roads and in this kind of weather, and we want to get a good result at the end of the day. We will see how the race goes, but the most important thing is to be attentive the whole time, because a lot of things can happen in a 250km race, especially on a course like this”, said sports director Tom Steels.
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