Gent-Wevelgem Women is a race where the sprinters have fought it out for the top step right since the fourth edition of the event in 2017, and as much as many of the breakaway specialists hoped some course alterations would change that in 2022, it didn’t.
Though 2023 could have a different story to tell. In contrast to the fine conditions last year defending champion Elisa Balsamo (Trek-Segafredo) may well be lining up to defend in wet and windy weather. What’s more, it will be a field where the attackers would have been emboldened by the outcome of the last two races of the Women’s World, Trofeo Alfredo Binda and Brugge-De Panne, both of which were taken by a solo victor.
The tough 162.5km race that marks the ninth round of the top-tier series could of course still hold in favour of the fast finishers – with a potential showdown between Lorena Wiebes (SD Worx), Balsamo and Charlotte Kool (Team DSM) – but there is a bound to be a fight to break that tradition along the road from Ypres.
Whichever way the balance swings, the tension between the rouleurs and fast finishers should lead to plenty of excitement before the race hits the line in Wevelgem. As we wait for the twelfth edition to unfold on Sunday March 26, Cyclingnews highlights five of the biggest talking points.
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Kemmelberg Ossuaire, De Moeren and the wind
The two most decisive aspects of the Gent-Wevelgem route are the steeper Ossuaire side of the Kemmelberg and the De Moeren sector, famous for its peloton-splitting high winds.
These two elements were added to the race last year, and they heightened the event’s unpredictability factor, making it an incredible spectacle for cycling fans watching from the side of the road or the comfort of their homes on a live broadcast.
They also play into each team’s tactical game, as the race which has ended in a bunch sprint in every edition since 2017, now caters to fast finishers and breakaway riders alike.
The climbs on the course include the Scherpenberg, Baneberg, Monteberg and Kemmelberg (Belvedere), and then another round of the Scherpenberg, Baneberg, Monteberg and Kemmelberg (Ossuaire) before the run-in to Vanackerestraat, Wevelgem.
Wind could…
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