2021 Gent-Wevelgem Race Preview
The details of this year's 2021 Gent-Wevelgem are falling into place. Find the latest route profiles and maps below, followed by our strategic preview of the race.
The cobbled classics season rolls into its second major test of the week as the peloton heads to the Belgian coast for Gent-Wevelgem, one of the most unpredictable and exciting one-day races on the calendar. Coming just days after the Tour of Flanders weekend, the race offers a different kind of challenge, one where crosswinds, echelons and the brutal climbs of the Kemmelberg can shatter even the most carefully constructed team plans.
The race traditionally favours riders with a combination of speed and endurance, and this year's edition promises to be no different. The finishing straight in Wevelgem typically sets up a bunch sprint, but the weather along the North Sea coast can completely tear apart that assumption in a matter of minutes. If the infamous Belgian wind picks up and the roads through the exposed polders turn vicious, we could see splits and breakaways that survive all the way to the finish line.
Wout van Aert is the standout favourite heading into the race. The Belgian superstar has shown time and again that he has the engine to control a race and the finishing speed to beat almost any sprinter in a reduced group. He arrives with strong support from Jumbo-Visma and will be difficult to dislodge from the top of the betting.
Mathieu van der Poel is another name who cannot be ignored. The Alpecin-Fenix rider brings extraordinary ability to any classic and will be eager to add another monument-calibre result to his growing palmares. The rivalry between these two men has defined the spring classics in recent years and their battle here could once again be the defining storyline of the day.
Caleb Ewan represents the pure sprint option, and if the race comes together for a large group finish, the Lotto-Soudal rider has the raw speed to beat almost everyone. However he will need his team to work hard to keep things together in the final kilometres. Similarly, Alexander Kristoff and Jasper Philipsen will fancy their chances if the sprinters are given a say in the outcome.
Peter Sagan, a former winner of this race with multiple victories to his name, remains a dangerous presence even if his recent form has been difficult to read. The Bora-Hansgrohe rider knows exactly what is required to win here and should not be underestimated.
The Kemmelberg will be the pivotal moment of the race, as it so often is. The climb is short but savage, and the multiple ascents in the final portion of the race can fragment the peloton decisively. Riders who lack the explosive power to crest it near the front risk losing contact with the leaders entirely, and that is where teams with ambitions for a sprint finish will need to have numbers and discipline.
All eyes will also be on the weather forecast. This part of Belgium in late March can deliver anything from sunshine to fierce gales, and race organisers have already had to adjust the route in previous years due to dangerous conditions. Whatever the weather brings, it will play a significant role in shaping how the race unfolds tactically.
This is a race that rewards the brave and punishes the complacent, and with so many high-quality riders capable of winning in different circumstances, it promises to be another unmissable chapter in this remarkable classics season.
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