Gent-Wevelgem Race Report: The two strongest men in the race, Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek) and Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck) tore Gent-Wevelgem apart until they were the only men left standing. At the finish the Dane had just the edge on the Dutch World champion to take the win. Jordi Meeus (BORA-hansgrohe) brought in the peloton just 16 seconds later.
Mads Pedersen won the 2024 Gent-Wevelgem on Sunday after an exciting duel with Mathieu van der Poel. After an attacking 253 kilometres, which was split by the crosswinds in De Moeren and then destroyed in the hills, the Dane was the faster man in the final sprint. Van der Poel and Pedersen were together after the last time over the Kemmelberg and the peloton left their chase just too late.
The win to Mads Pedersen
Parcours
The start of Gent-Wevelgem has not been in Gent for a long time, and not Deinze any more. Since 2020, Ieper (Ypres) in West Flanders has hosted the start. With its history and the iconic Menenpoort, Ieper is the ideal starting place for Gent-Wevelgem ‘In Flanders Fields’, as the race is now officially called, a reference to the war poem ‘In Flanders Fields’, written by the Canadian John McCrae. The race passes through a number of important locations of the First World War. The first 100 kilometres are almost flat, but the wind often plays its part, so it is important that the riders stay attentive. After the first 100 kilometres and the passage through De Moeren, where the wind always causes an upset, then the race is on.
Gent-Wevelgem 2024 map
De Moeren is where the race can really open up for the first time. If not, then it will be ‘full gas’ to the first real climbs. The Heuvelland has the climbs of the Scherpenberg and the Baneberg. Then, 85 kilometres from the finish, it is the Monteberg–Kemmelberg, up the Kemmel cobbles via the longer, but less steep eastern side of Belvedère.
Gent-Wevelgem 2024 profile
After these climbs, the race leaves West Flanders for a loop through Hainaut for three rough roads: Hill 63, Christmas Truce and The Catacombs. The peloton then returns to West Flanders for the finale. First for the second time the Monteberg and Kemmelberg. The Kemmel is then ridden for the third time via the Scherpenberg and the Baneberg. This time via the steeper west side of Ossuaire, where the race could be decided. After the top of the Kemmel, there are 34 kilometres to the finish in Wevelgem. The road still climbs a little, especially the part just after Iepre, but there are no real climbs. The finish, as it has been for many years, is on the Vanackerestraat in Wevelgem.
Top favourite – World champion Matieu van der Poel presented to the fans at the start
When asked if he would win by WielerFlits at the start, top favourite, Mathieu van der Poel said: “It would be nice to win this race, but unfortunately it is not that easy. We’ll try. The E3 Saxo Classic is also not easy to win. That is not the case for any race, but this is a completely different race than the E3. The passage through the Moeren is crucial, but everyone knows that. It will be quite a struggle to be at the front. It depends on where you are, but if you are in a position to do it with the team you should definitely not leave it alone. But the most difficult thing is to get into that position, because everyone wants to be at the front. I mainly have to wait and see how the legs are after Friday. E3 was a difficult competition. I’m looking forward to it. It’s been a long time since I did this race. We have several cards to play with the team and that also makes it easier for me to race.”
The start in Ieper
It took a while before an early break formed. After more than 30 kilometres, Michael Mørkøv (Astana Qazaqstan), Johan Jacobs (Movistar), Kelland O’Brien (Jayco AlUla), Hugo Houle (Israel-Premier Tech), William Blume Levy (Uno-X Mobility) and Cyrus Monk (Q36.5) escaped. Dries de Bondt (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale) and Mathis Le Berre (Arkéa-B&B Hotels) joined them. The group took a 5 minute gap on the peloton.
The peloton leaving Ieper via the Menenpoort: Theuns (Lidl-Trek), Van der Poel Mathieu (Alpecin-Deceuninck), Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck) and Stuyven (Lidl-Trek)
All together before the start proper
The break’s lead disappeared when they hit the Moeren. The predicted wind, with gusts of up to 70kph, split the peloton into pieces. Around a group of 30 thirty riders survived at the front, including Mathieu van der Poel, Jasper Philipsen, Olav Kooij, Tim Merlier, Mads Pedersen, Jasper Stuyven and Stefan Küng. They caught the leading group 120 kilometres from the finish.
Alpecin-Deceunick has their second card to play – Milano-Sanremo winner Jasper Philipsen
It didn’t take long for the bunch to be pulled into a long line
Bahrain Victorious, Jayco AlUla and Lotto Dstny had missed the move, so the chase had to start in the peloton. The difference fluctuated around 30 to 40 seconds for a long time, but they got back together at the start of the Baneberg. A large group headed towards the Kemmelberg for the first time.
All together
The breaks soon started
Mathieu van der Poel started the attacks. Mads Pedersen and Jonathan Milan were on his wheel and a little later Jasper Stuyven, Tim van Dijke, Laurence Pithie and Rasmus Tiller managed to cross. The peloton, with almost all sprinters, was at about 30 seconds. Lidl-Trek had the advantage of numbers and so Milan jumped away. He started the first section of ‘gravel’ with a lead of 25 second.
Alpecin and Bahrain were doing the work
Behind him, Van der Poel threw the hammer down on the rough road. Only Pedersen and Pithie could follow him. Stuyven was struck with a puncture, Van Dijke and Tiller seemed to have gone off course. Van der Poel and Pithie closed the gap to Milan, with Pedersen in tow, so there were now four leaders on the way to the Kemmelberg for the second time. The peloton was at 50 seconds after the three sections of gravel and was led by BORA-hansgrohe and Visma | Lease a Bike.
‘In Flanders Fields’
Before the second time up the Kemmel, the peloton came very close to the leaders. At the front, Pedersen was the best on the cobbled climb, although Van der Poel and Pithie caught him on the descent. The chasing group of more than 30 riders were only 20 seconds behind. the race was still wide open at this point.
The wind and crashes split the race
If life wasn’t hard enough, there was also the helicopter
Hugo Page and Ben Turner put in a chase, while Lidl-Trek and Groupama-FDJ tried to slow the peloton. The race was heading to the Kemmelberg for the last time, 34 kilometres from the finish. Pedersen put in a strong effort on the cobbled climb, Van der Poel struggled for a bit, but the World champion fought his way back to the Dane’s wheel.
The World champion was on or off the front all day
Pithie was dropped on the Kemmelberg, but could still see the two in front of him on the descent, but the gap quickly increased as Van der Poel and Pedersen worked well together. The peloton was at more than 1 minute due to no one wanting to work. Pithie, Page, Turner and (now also) Anthony Turgis were between break and bunch, but they were going nowhere.
A day of echelons
A very strong lead group of four with 70 kilometres to go: Van der Poel, Pedersen. Pithie and Stuyven
The power of Pedersen and Van der Poel kept the peloton at bay and it looked like we would have a two-man sprint battle in Wevelgem. Soudal Quick-Step, Visma | Lease a Bike and BORA-hansgrohe had by this point got their act together and started to chase. The bunch started to close the gap in the last 10 kilometres, but had they left it too late? Patrick Lefevere must have given his men a good talking too after the E3 Saxo Classic.
After a solo of the front, Stuyven was dropped
Van der Poel and Pedersen had to keep the speed up to the finish. The poker game started in the last 2 kilometres. The Dane did a bit more work and was forced into the lead by the World champion in the final kilometre. This didn’t bother Pedersen and he started a long sprint: 300 metres out. Van der Poel held the dane for as long as he could, but his legs gave out after a hard day, 50 metres from the finish. Pedersen had the win.
The last time over the Kemmel wasn’t good for Pithie
Then there were two
The peloton got very close, but it was too late. Jordi Meeus was first across the line from the bunch for third place, just ahead of the Milano-Sanremo winner, Jasper Philipsen in fourth. Jonathan Milan was fifth after his attacking day.
Pedersen went for a long sprint
Race winner, Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek): “I had to trust my sprint, but it was Mathieu. I didn’t really have much confidence. On the one hand, I had to trust my sprint. We couldn’t attack each other. I had to believe it was good enough. If you look at Mathieu lately, it’s not that easy. It was a gamble. I took the lead, because he would be satisfied with the peloton coming back. Philipsen was sitting there. I had to keep the pace high. If I could keep the pace and not go over the limit, that was good. I’d rather have that than Mathieu doing that and throwing me overboard. I tried it there (on the Kemmel) together with Mathieu and it worked.”
And the win went to the ex-World champion over the current rainbow jersey
Second, Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck): “I had very little confidence in my sprint, if I’m honest. I really suffered a lot today. On the second time at the Kemmelberg I almost lost to Mads and the last time it was just trying to keep the wheel. The strongest has won. At some point you have to make a decision. As World champion you also want to ride in that situation, and Jasper didn’t win the sprint either. It was quite gruelling. I took Friday’s race with me, but Mads also rode that, so that is no excuse. But here the strongest won. I certainly didn’t have the legs I had on Friday. I sometimes felt in character about it and would have liked to win, but there was one stronger.”
Jordi Meeus brought the bunch in for 3rd place
Gent-Wevelgem Result:
1. Mads Pedersen (Den) Lidl-Trek in 5:36:00
2. Mathieu van der Poel (Ned) Alpecin-Deceuninck
3. Jordi Meeus (Bel) BORA-hansgrohe at 0:16
4. Jasper Philipsen (Bel) Alpecin-Deceuninck
5. Jonathan Milan (Ita) Lidl-Trek
6. Olav Kooij (Ned) Visma | Lease a Bike
7. Biniam Girmay (Eri) Intermarché-Wanty
8. Tim Merlier (Bel) Soudal Quick-Step
9. Dylan Groenewegen (Ned) Jayco AlUla
10. Matteo Trentin (Ita) Tudor.
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