Gent-Wevelgem to feature battle between sprinters and classics men

A battle between the sprinters and the classics men is the way that Gent-Wevelgem normally turns out, but what happens when one rider (Wout van Aert) is both?

Wout Van Aert of Jumbo - Visma wins the men's 83rd Gent-Wevelgem. Source: Getty

Watch all the action from Gent-Wevelgem in Flanders Fields on SBS and SBS On Demand. The men’s race will lead off the coverage from 2245 AEDT, with the women’s race broadcast to follow the conclusion of the men’s event, likely starting at 0200 AEDT.

The 2022 edition of Gent-Wevelgem in Flanders Fields is set to honour Australians who were casualties of the First World War, with the Flanders region the scene of many battles during the conflict. 

The race will depart from Menin Gate, a “memorial to the missing”. A total of 54,896 names are engraved on the monument, the names of soldiers from the Commonwealth who were reported missing before 15 August 1917.

Under the Menin Gate, the Last Post has been played every evening since 1928. The Last Post Association has documented that the Last Post has sounded more than 31,000 times at the gate.

The early sections of the race are flat and without too much in the way of obstacles, but there can be action in that section, as there was last year as the winning move was established with still 180 kilometres to go.

After 150 km of racing in the legs, the peloton will reach the first of the major climbs of the day, with an intense section of climbing challenges starting with 98 kilometres to go.  The Scherpenberg (1.2km at 3.4%), the Baneberg (270m at 9%), the Monteberg (1.4 km at 4.7%) which serves as a prelude to the first ascent of the Kemmelberg.

The riders will first tackle the Belvédère side (600m at 10.8%) with the cobbled ‘hellingen’ of the Flanders region adding to the difficulty. There are three gravel ‘Plugstreets to negotiate then before doing another lap of the Scherpenberg and Baneberg, but this time finish with the longer Ossuaire side of the Kemmelberg where gradients peak at 21%.

It’s then back to another lap of the Monteberg, Kemmelberg, and Scherpenberg before gearing up the Baneberg and an ascent of the Kemmelberg from the Belvédère side.

There are 33 kilometres to race from the top of the Kemmelberg, which may be enough time for an organised chasing group behind to catch any attackers that have forced their way clear. It’s equally likely to see a small group contesting the win as a reduced peloton sprinting for the victory, a race that offers plenty of variety in its winners.

Contenders

Wout van Aert is back to defend his title and few would bet against him in this race. At E3 Saxo Bank Classic, the Belgian was at his gritty best, forcing the action before attacking clear from long range with teammate Christophe Laporte for a memorable 1-2. It takes serious strength to do that, and van Aert is not only the favourite from an attack, but he's also a favourite if it finishes in a sprint, as it did last year when he took the win. 

Though it's rare for a rider to do the E3 to Gent-Wevelgem double due to the attrition of the Friday race, if anyone is capable of it, van Aert, ably supported by Laporte, Tiesj Benoot and Nathan van Hooydonck is surely that athlete.

For the rest, it's hard to go past the Wolfpack, QuckStep Alpha Vinyl, who bring sprinter Fabio Jakobsen as well as classics men Tour of Flanders winner Kasper Asgreen, Yves Lampaert and Florian Senechal.

2020 Gent-Wevelgem winner Mads Pedersen (Trek-Segafredo) has looked in some sharp form already this season, and packs a very good sprint at the end of a hard's day race. The team also boasts Jasper Stuyven with his impressive classics pedigree.

Australia's best hope is the veteran Classics star Heinrich Haussler (Bahrain Victorious) who has been active in races so far this season, taking a top-10 in Brugge-De Panne as his best return so far.

There are plenty of teams with a big name sprinter present, which may indicate that it will be quite hard to forge a winning advantage on the climbs as there will be a lot of squads with the power to chase escapees back.

Dylan Groenewegen (BikeExchange-Jayco), Pascal Ackermann (Bora-hansgrohe), Peter Sagan (Total Energies), Arnaud Demare (Groupama-FDJ), Jasper Philipsen and Tim Merlier (Alpecin-Fenix) are all fast finishers with the potential to win here. Sagan already has three victories at this race to his name, but he hasn't been in the same dominant form as those years in the 2022 season.

Watch all the action from Gent-Wevelgem in Flanders Fields on SBS and SBS On Demand. The men’s race will lead off the coverage from 2245 AEDT, with the women’s race broadcast to follow the conclusion of the men’s event, likely starting at 0200 AEDT.