The spring Classics wave is rapidly constructing with Gent-Wevelgem set so as to add to the Belgian swell on Sunday as rivals proceed to jostle for peak takeoff positions because the cobbles, climbs, and at instances fierce winds, add to the chaos and pleasure of the race from Ypres to Wevelgem.
The races on the run in to the 253km males’s occasion and 171.2km girls’s occasion have already shone a highlight on some key riders who’re anticipated to be chasing the win on Sunday. The world champions Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck) and Lotte Kopecky (SD Worx) are after all two names which are not possible to disregard, although with the energy of their staff choices, together with Jasper Philipsen and Lorena Wiebes, you possibly can’t even be assured that the rainbow clad riders shall be their prime staff card on race day.
Then, after all, there are many rivals lined up who shall be seeking to not solely take a win but additionally construct momentum to the subsequent Monument on the calendar, the Tour of Flanders. Within the males’s race they’ll after all embody Visma-Lease a Bike, who could not have Wout van Aert on the squad this 12 months however little question will wish to try to defend the title received by Christophe Laporte, even whether it is maybe with one other rider. Whereas within the girls’s occasion Lidl-Trek and Elisa Balsamo are on a roll after the Italian claimed victory at each Trofeo Alfredo Binda and Brugge-De Panne. May it maybe flip into three in a row in Wevelgem?
Because the anticipation builds towards Sunday, Cyclingnews delves additional into the highest contenders.
World Champion Lotte Kopecky has had a powerful begin to her a season with an general victory at UAE Tour adopted by second at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and a pair of wins at Strade Bianche and Nokere Koerse. She additionally crammed in for her injured teammate Chantal van den Broek-Blaak at Trofeo Alfredo Binda the place she completed second behind Elisa Balsamo (Lidl-Trek).
Though Wiebes is perhaps the quicker sprinter of the 2, she crashed at Nokere Koerse, rendering her unable to race her focused Traditional Brugge-De Panne. In reality, the SD Worx staff needed to pull out of De Panne altogether on account of a number of rider accidents.
Whereas Wiebes would usually be a favorite at a race like Gent-Wevelgem, she is considerably of a darkish horse, given her current restoration, that means, the staff may put their focus completely on Kopecky for the win.
Christophe Laporte has not skilled a easy spring up to now, however his Visma-Lease a Bike staff hopes that further relaxation days this week will present the spark he wants at Gent-Wevelgem. In spite of everything he’s the defending champion. However with query marks surrounding sound well being and final 12 months’s runner-up Wout van Aert not in attendance, then Visma-Lease a Bike seems to be to maintain the crown with the staff and can flip to quickly-developing Olav Kooij as their chief.
Laporte was pressured to desert Milan -San Remo on the Capo Berta with slightly below 40km to go, his staff reporting that he felt in poor health. He was taken off the roster for E3 Saxo Traditional as a way to relaxation up for Sunday’s defence at Gent-Wevelgem. Kooij, nonetheless, had a powerful debut at Milan-San Remo with 14th general.
“Olav has developed properly over the previous few years and exhibits nice issues. He was already excellent at Gent-Wevelgem final 12 months. He has a great likelihood within the upcoming version, particularly if the race turns right into a dash with a giant group. However we won’t be the overwhelming favourites on Sunday,” sports activities director Grischa Niermann mentioned.
That is regardless of the overwhelming drive of final 12 months’s effort, when Laporte broke away with teammate Van Aert on the Kemmelberg they usually rode the ultimate 50km collectively for a 1-2 end, Van Aert giving method to Laporte so the Frenchman may win. Ought to Laporte really feel robust on Sunday, he could look to help to the 22-year-old Dutchman, who has a win from Clasica de Almeria to start out the 12 months and two stage wins from Paris-Good. In spite of everything, Kooij did journey at Gent-Wevelgem final 12 months and was a powerful eighth.
Emma Norsgaard leads Movistar into the cobbled Spring Classics, considered one of her favorite blocks of the racing season. The staff has a profitable sprinter in Arlenis Sierra, however Norsgaard will possible be the main focus for this a part of the season, given her motivation and skillset over the cobbled terrain, in breakaways and in bunch sprints.
The Danish all-rounder has had a great begin to the 12 months, ramping her type up on the UAE Tour after which securing a few prime tens on the lower-level races Omloop van het Hageland and Nokere Koerse.
There’s a robust indication that Norsgaard is making ready for the larger cobbled races of Gent-Wevelgem, Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix so look ahead to her to make a bounce up in her performances over the subsequent two weeks.
Contemporary off the primary Monument victory of his profession, Jasper Philipsen is the most popular commodity this month on the subject of spring Classics. His victory on Through Roma at Milan-San Remo was a high-speed battle in opposition to Michael Matthews (Jayco-AlUla), Tadej Pogačar (UAE Crew Emirates) and Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek) and eight others. Philipsen then proved a degree in one other dash three days later the place he additionally claimed the win at Traditional Brugge-De Panne.
The Belgian sprinter seems to be to go three-for-three as he makes his sixth look at Gent-Wevelgem. His greatest end at his residence cobbled Traditional was eleventh when he rode within the U23 race as a 20-year-old for Hagens Berman Axeon.
In fact, final Saturday’s explosive end on Through Roma for Philipsen was additionally partially on account of his teammate and four-time Monument winner Mathieu van der Poel chasing down late breakaways. Van der Poel would work for his teammate and end tenth.
Van der Poel has by no means received Gent-Wevelgem, and this 12 months the route appears to favour his flourish for diverse terrain, because the course has added three sections of unpaved roads in a five-kilometre stretch, cobblestones and climbs throughout each side of the Kemmelberg, the ultimate ascent topping off at 23% gradient.
Philipsen is in new private territory, the 26-year-old driving a tidal wave of success. Will his legs be contemporary sufficient to face up to the 9 climbs within the ultimate 100 kilometres? Or will Van der Poel be again to punish the climbs as a way to add Gent-Wevelgem to his assortment? The Van der Poel-Philipsen tandem labored properly earlier than at Paris-Roubaix, the Alpecin-Deceuninck pair going 1-2 in 2023. Maybe they’ll replicate the 1-2 Christophe Laporte and Wout van Aert pulled off for Jumbo-Visma final 12 months.
That is the time of 12 months that Letizia Paternoster turns her consideration away from the observe on onto the cobbled classics. She has chosen a handful of races that swimsuit her greatest, telling Cyclingnews that whereas her focus is on the Paris Olympics, races like Gent-Wevelgem are additionally a goal.
She has had success throughout this block in earlier seasons, ending third at Gent-Wevelgem in 2019 and final 12 months she was sixth at Omloop van het Hageland, ninth at Ronde van Drenthe, tenth at Nokere Koerse and Scheldeprijs.
Just lately ending fourth at Ronde van Drenthe, Paternoster will line up at Gent-Wevelgem with one other robust sprinter, Ruby Roseman-Gannon, and collectively they might put Liv AlUla Jayco on the rostrum.
Biniam Girmay struck gold at Gent-Wevelgem in 2022 when he made historical past as the primary African champion of the cobbled Traditional. The younger Eritrean was simply 21 when he delivered a flash of brilliance to take the one-day victory and adopted that with a Giro d’Italia stage win and eight extra prime 10s to shut out a shocking marketing campaign, together with third at one other WorldTour race, Grand Prix Cycliste de Québec.
He crashed on the 2023 version which took him out of competition for a Wevelgem repeat, so shall be again for redemption. His type is strong for this 12 months with 4 prime 10s at Tour Down Beneath, giving him second place within the factors classification, then a win at 158.6km Surf Coast Traditional, the place rolling hills discovered him on the entrance of a decreased group dash.
Girmay is a flexible sprinter who has discovered to be persistent throughout hills as a way to compete on the end. He’ll have a younger supporting solid to assist him get there, although perhaps not family names they’ve had strong springs, together with Le Samyn winner Laurenz Rex and Cadel Evans Nice Ocean Highway Race runner-up Hugo Web page.
Maike van der Duin’s breakout performances final 12 months noticed her safe a pair of third locations at Ronde van Drenthe and Gent-Wevelgem in her first season on the WorldTour with Canyon-SRAM.
The Dutch sprinter is the staff’s greatest shot at victory in Wevelgem, however she strains up with the highly effective Chloe Dygert, who offers the staff a wildcard on the 171km race.
Dygert, the reigning time trial world champion, hasn’t raced on the street but this season, having been sidelined from competitors in the course of the Australian summer season racing season on account of sickness. Nevertheless, her dedication to coaching on the street and observe and her general energy as a time triallist makes her one to observe.
The staff will possible give attention to Van der Duin, nonetheless, as there are a number of groups with highly effective sprinters that may also wish to preserve any breakaways at bay. If the race comes right down to a dash, look ahead to Van der Duin to be the staff’s protected rider in a lead-out.
Whereas Gent-Wevelgem is understood for its flat strategy throughout the west Flemish area of Belgium, Tim Merlier is among the quick males who can navigate its punchy climbs, cobbled lanes and cross-winds to contend on the end. The Belgian thrives on residence terrain like this.
Merlier is the highest performer up to now this season for Soudal-QuickStep with half of his 20 begins leading to prime 10s. Six instances he has topped the sector because the winner, together with every week in the past at Danilith Nokere Koerse the place he received for a 3rd consecutive 12 months. He completed simply off Jasper Philipsen’s wheel for second place at Traditional Brugge-De Panne and after the race mentioned, “I really feel that I may have received. The starvation for victories stays large”.
Now in his fifteenth season as knowledgeable bicycle owner, Merlier has solely completed within the prime 10 at Wevelgem as soon as in 4 tries. However he’s had one of many quickest begins in his profession and the previous Belgian street champion, who additionally excels in cyclocross, received’t discover the off-road sections and cobbles a distraction to disrupt his focus to fulfill his starvation for a win.
Charlotte Kool will undoubtedly be her staff’s most important focus at Gent-Wevelgem, supported by a highly effective revamped lead-out practice that features Franziska Koch, Pfeiffer Georgi, and Rachele Barbieri, who’re all on the roster for the one-day race.
Georgi is a flexible rider who may very properly instigate a profitable breakaway, as she did ultimately 12 months’s Traditional Brugge-De Panne. If that choice would not work out, nonetheless, the staff can depend on her to be a significant component throughout the lead-out.
Kool wasn’t capable of begin her season when deliberate on account of sickness, however she has proven promising type within the earlier spring one-day races at Omloop van het Hageland, Le Samyn and Ronde van Drenthe. On prime of that, her second place at Brugge-De Panne on Thursday clearly stung so the motivation is sure to be excessive to shift it up a step.
Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek), the 2020 Gent-Wevelgem winner, returns to try to reclaim one other prestigious spring Traditional victory in Belgium. Whereas he admits the proverbial carrot-and-stick for his profession is a Monument win, one other title at Gent-Wevelgem would serve him properly.
Within the 4 years since Pedersen received the autumn version of Gent-Wevelgem, he has completed within the prime 10 twice. In 2021 he received Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne after which completed second at Bredene Koksijde Traditional, however his spring stalled earlier than a defence of the Gent-Wevelgem title after a constructive coronavirus take a look at put him in quarantine for seven days.
After three stage podiums and the general title at Etoile de Bessèges to start out 2024, the Dane then dominated the Tour de Provence by profitable three days of racing and taking the GC. He earned two extra podiums at Paris-Good, and confirmed his versatility at Milan-San Remo when he made the 12-rider lead group and narrowly missed the rostrum by one spot, Tadej Pogačar overtaking him on the line and Pedersen settling for fourth.
Proof of Pedersen’s large end in lengthy, arduous one-day races are the rainbow stripes that stay on his jersey collar and sleeves to suggest his 2019 Highway World Championships title. Anticipate Pedersen to be a part of the combination in any entrance group on the Vanackerestraat.
Elisa Balsamo is arguably the outright favorite for a win at Gent-Wevelgem, given her early-season victories at Setmana Valenciana, Trofeo Alfredo Binda after which Brugge-De Panne, whereas she additionally completed second at Ronde van Drenthe.
Balsamo can be lining up with one of many strongest groups with help from the likes of Lizzie Deignan, Elisa Longo Borghini, Lucinda Model, Shirin van Anrooij and Ellen van Dijk.
Any considered one of these riders may win Gent-Wevelgem, but when it comes right down to a bunch dash, the staff will clearly work for Balsamo.
An extremely robust, one-day rider, Michael Matthews brings prime type into the center of spring Classics season, having narrowly missed the win at Milan-San Remo in a head-to-head dash in opposition to Jasper Philipsen final week. It was a 3rd podium on the Italian Monument for the Australian and the sixth top-10 end.
He was fifth in his final look at Gent-Wevelgem in 2021, a 12 months with an analogous buildup with Milan-San Remo and E3 Saxo Traditional. Although Classics wins have been evasive, Matthews scored a victory at GP Castellón in January. This Belgian course fits his energy on punchy climbs and the resilience to order sources for a quick end.
The Australian is ready to have a breakout journey at a significant spring Traditional in some unspecified time in the future and his Milan-San Remo efficiency was a sign he’s on observe.
Honourable mentions
- Ruby Roseman-Gannon (Liv AlUla Jayco)
- Tamara Dronova-Balabolina (Roland)
- Thalita de Jong (Lotto Dstny Women)
- Chiara Consonni (UAE Crew ADQ)
- Chloe Dygert (Canyon-SRAM)
- Arnaud De Lie (Lotto Dstny)
- Matej Mohorič (Bahrain-Victorious)
- Arnaud Démare (Arkéa-B&B Resorts)
- Matteo Trentin (Tudor Professional Biking Crew)
- Mark Cavendish (Astana Qazaqstan)
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