Gent-Wevelgem History: Gent-Wevelgem is a true Classic where anything can happen. This Sunday the sprinters might have it their way, or will a late attack group take the day? Whoever wins, he adds his name to a list of top riders who have been first over the finish-line in Wevelgem.
*** You can see the ‘PEZ 2025 Gent-Wevelgem Preview’ HERE. ***
Sep Vanmarcke Unveils the secrets of the Kemmelberg | Gent-Wevelgem Insider’s Guide
The first Gent-Wevelgem was on 9th of September, 1934 and Gustave Van Belle was the solo winner after 120 flat kilometres, he won with a lead of 20 seconds. In those days Gent-Wevelgem was organised for amateur riders by the newspaper Gazet van Antwerpen and Wevelgem was selected for the finish because it was the home town of the event’s first owner, local textile manufacturer Georges Matthijs. The race was originally run as a tribute to Gaston Rebry, a native of Wevelgem, who was one of the stars of cycling in Belgium in the 1930s.
Gaston Rebry
The 1936 the race distance was increased to 168km and Robert Van Eenaeme won. The race didn’t run during the Second World War, but when it made its return in 1945 as a race for professionals, it was Robert Van Eenaeme who won again. It took ten days for the final result to be announced as the officials needed a closer inspected of the photo finish. Gaston Rebry was by then president of ‘Het Vliegend Wiel’ and the race director. In 1947 Gent–Wevelgem was given its Spring date on the calendar and gained prestige as Rebry managed to line up Italian cycling icons Gino Bartali and Fausto Coppi, who attracted vast numbers of spectators. In the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s, Belgian cycling legends Rik Van Looy and Eddy Merckx each won the race three times. Van Looy’s victory in 1962 was special because he also won the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix in the same year. Two years later Jacques Anquetil was only the second non-Belgian winner after Rolf Graf of Switzerland in 1954.
Jacques Anquetil won in 1964
From the eighties Gent-Wevelgem was more a race for the sprinters. Guido Bontempi, Sean Kelly and Mario Cipollini were all winners. The Italian won Gent-Wevelgem three times, which makes him one of the record holders. In 2003 the race no longer started in Gent, but in Deinze. That year Andreas Klier won, but the next year a young Tom Boonen took the first of his three wins in his breakthrough season. His three wins in 2003, 2011 and 2012, also makes him a record holder. 2011 was also the year that the race was included in the WorldTour and in 2014, the race was officially renamed Gent-Wevelgem in Flanders Fields, a reference to the famous war poem ‘In Flanders Fields’, written by the Canadian John McCrae. The name is also a reference to the route as it goes through a number of important locations of the First World War. The race still doesn’t start in Gent or Deinze, but in Ieper (Ypres) since 2020.
The start is now in Ieper (Ypres)
There isn’t one record holder, because Robert Van Eenaeme, Rik Van Looy, Eddy Merckx, Mario Cipollini, Tom Boonen and Peter Sagan have all won Gent-Wevelgem three times.
Eddy Merckx won in Wevelgem three times
In 2022 a thinned out peloton headed for the Kemmelberg, where the race proper would really begin. Wout van Aert put the hammer down and only a few favourites could follow, but the race was still together. A few riders managed to slip away: Christophe Laporte, Jasper Stuyven, Biniam Girmay and Dries van Gestel. Rasmus Tiller and Greg Van Avermaet saw the danger and tried to cross to the four, but couldn’t. Going into the last 15 kilometres, the leaders had 15 seconds and would fight for the win in Wevelgem. Laporte was forced to the front and Girmay took advantage and was the first to sprint. Girmay held Laporte off for a historic victory: The first African winner of a Spring Classic.
Jumbo-Visma 2023 domination
In 2023 Wout van Aert gave teammate Christophe Laporte a present after an impressive two-man time trial. In 2024, two men rode together in the finale, but there was no present at the finish. Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek) and Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck) tore Gent-Wevelgem apart until they were the only men left standing after the last time over the Kemmelberg. 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 16 seconds later.
Gent-Wevelgem 2024
Gent-Wevelgem in Flanders Fields 2024
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.
In Flanders Fields
# Stay PEZ for the ‘Race Report’ on Sunday and all the news in EUROTRASH Monday. #
Like PEZ? Why not subscribe to our weekly newsletter to receive updates and reminders on what’s cool in road cycling?
