Ghent – Wevelgem
10:51 zonbeki – 16:26 Wavellgem
Game, set and madness! Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek) won Ghent-Wevelgem after a titanic duel with Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck). The former Danish world champion moved the race with the current world champion and was fastest in the sprint. Van der Poel has already used up a lot of energy due to the tactical Lidl-Trek. Jordi Meeus (Bora-Hansgrohe) came in third.
The 86th Ghent-Wevelgem in brief:
- Today's winner: Participate in the perfect race in the blocks, then be the strongest in the final time in Kemmelberg and in the sprint in Wevelgem. Mads Pedersen and his teammates from Lidl-Trek cracked the code to bring down Van der Poel and hit him.
- Loser of the day: Raced and lost, but animated. Mathieu van der Poel opened the race in the first Kemmelberg and thus created an elite group from which he and Pedersen were the only ones to survive. In the final, with the Dane faster on paper, the Dutchman also continued to lead.
- statistics: Following his win in 2020, this is the second win for Ghent-Wevelgem on the record of former world champion Pedersen. He is the fourth non-Belgian to win this classic game more than once. Peter Sagan, Mario Cipollini (both 3 times) and Guido Bontempi (2 times): Not among their bad predecessors.
The fan clincher does not guarantee the final choice
Lots of wind, rain and even hail? The weather forecast promised a heroic release from Ghent-Wevelgem. Although only this first element will play a role today.
The riders didn't have to deal with a drop of rain, meaning it remained calm all the way to De Moeren. There, a fan war broke out that caused casualties but did not result in a final settlement.
Outsiders Jan Tratnik and Jonathan Narvaez saw their chances diminished by a nervous breakdown. An elite group was formed, with a group already active at that point Matthew van der Poel.
It turned out to be just a prelude, because when we entered the mountainous area the weather was fickle again. It won't last long.
Lidl-Trek takes down Van der Poel in a block, and Pedersen finishes it off
Van der Poel unleashed his demons again the first time out in Kimelberg. The ideal situation did not arise there immediately, because Lidl – Trek was strongly represented in the new elite group.
The trio of Mads Pedersen, Jasper Stuyven and Jonathan Milan were ready to challenge the world champion. The latter opened the exhausting battle with a long attack.
Van der Poel closed the hole, but that meant the first scratch on the car's bodywork. The Lidl-Trek trio became a duo due to Stuyven's tire puncture on plugstreets.
In the last two Kemmelbergs, Pedersen has already shown that he is okay, especially by allowing Van der Poel to turn the wheel on the last one. Milan and Pieti were on the outside: they entered the final with 2.
The chase came close with sprint rifles, but it never became an easy task.
It was a quick race between Pedersen and Van der Poel. The Dane made a strong race from the front. The Dutchman came halfway through and then had to sit down.
Pedersen was the strongest in the final and in the sprint, and was thus able to add a second Gent-Wevelgem title to his list of achievements. Van der Poel finished on the podium for the first time and Jordi Meeus also did so with an impressive third place from the peloton.
Related:
Stage after stage
Pedersen overtakes Van der Poel in a thrilling sprint and wins Gent-Wevelgem
Van der Poel briefly took the lead within half the distance of Pedersen, but the world champion was unable to cover the distance again after the Dane's strong start. Third place goes to Jordi Meus in the peloton.
Pedersen does it!
At 50 metres, Van der Poel settles down, and Pedersen takes the win in Gent-Wevelgem with a quick squeeze! He was the best in the last Kemmelberg race, and this was also the case in the sprint.
Pedersen attacks from a very long distance.
Pedersen has no interest in slowing down, and Van der Poel should come off his wheels with a bang. Another 500 metres.
The last kilometre.
Just before the red game, Pedersen takes over from Van der Poel. This is how we enter the last kilometre.
Things continue to go well for Pedersen and Van der Poel. A world champion wants to make it a fast race, and a former world champion might make a strong race.
Another 3 kilometers
Who will start playing poker first in the lead? It's still a bit early for that, but there's some room to play in the last kilometre.
There is a lot of drumming in Minen's artistic clip. In the peloton anyway, where the trains gather to race for third place.
There is a gap in the package with two worker ants disintegrating. Naturally, the calf completely drowned.
There are still 5 kilometers to go and now there is no silence in the peloton. They are getting closer and closer to Van der Poel and Pedersen, but the gap remains 47 seconds.
Try something before the race? This is almost impossible when there are both of us in the final. It's interesting to know that Pedersen and Van der Poel have never raced against each other for a win from a small group before. So it is difficult to predict who will succeed.
Another 10 kilometers
Rainbow shirt or rainbow badges: who will add Gent-Wevelgem 2024 to their list of achievements? Van der Poel and Pedersen start the last 10km with a minute bonus.
They have no chance in the peloton against those two with that tailwind.
Renate Schuti on the motorcycle
The team is eating away at opposing forwards, so who can still shoot from the 3?
The counter-attackers were captured
There is finally a merger behind the two leaders. Visma-Lease a Bike and Soudal-Quick Step have joined forces.
The writing is on the wall for the platoon. They see them driving, but they can't catch Turner, Paige, Bethy, and Turgis. 1'15″ remains the gap between the big group and Pedersen and Van der Poel, 5″ still behind the 4 between them.
The fast guys who are definitely still in the peloton: Merlier, Kooij, Philipsen, Jermay, Meeus and Matthews.
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