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Gent-Wevelgem 2025 preview: Route, favourites, how to watch and start list
With a few Flemish one-day races in the legs already this season, attention will turn to West Flanders this weekend for the men’s and women’s Gent-Wevelgem.
Taking place a week before the Tour of Flanders, Gent-Wevelgem has a different character to De Ronde due to its comparative lack of cobbled climbs, though its headlined by the Kemmelberg, making it a more sprinter-friendly course. The weather can make the difference too. Crosswinds and miserable wet weather have become a recurring theme in this race.
Mads Pedersen took the victory last year ahead of Mathieu van der Poel, adding a second Gent-Wevelgem title to his palmarès. Over in the women’s race, a high octane sprint saw SD Worx’s Lorena Wiebes pip Elisa Balsamo in a photo finish to take her first Gent-Wevelgem victory. Both Pedersen and Wiebes will be on the start line on Sunday. Jasper Philipsen, Jonathan Milan, Lotte Kopecky and Elisa Balsamo will be among the rest of the riders at the start in Ypres.
Gent-Wevelgem 2025 key information
Date: Sunday 30th March 2025
Start: Ypres (Ieper), Belgium
Finish: Wevelgem, Belgium
Distance: Men’s – 250.3km; Women’s – 168.9km
Television coverage: Discovery+, TNT Sports, Sporza, Max, FloBikes
2024 winners: Men’s – Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek); Women’s – Lorena Wiebes (SD Worx-Protime)
Gent-Wevelgem 2025 men’s route
Despite its name, Gent-Wevelgem no longer starts in Gent, but at the Menin Gate war memorial in Ypres. The official name of the race also references the Great War: ‘Gent Wevelgem – In Flanders Fields’.
The course passes through Passendale before going by the dozens of wartime cemeteries that can be found throughout West Flanders. The off-road sectors of Plugstreets – an English nickname given to the area during the War – will also give the race a chance to pay homage to the conflict.
The climbing really kicks in after the gravel sectors, with the province’s highest point, the Kemmelberg, the most noteworthy, with the race going over both sides of the climb. The last passage over the Kemmelberg will come at just over 30km to go. From there, it’s flat and well-paved to the finish.
Gent-Wevelgem 2025 women’s route
The women’s Gent-Wevelgem also departs from Ypres, heading north towards Veurne. After skirting along the French border, they will reach the first climb of the day, which will come after just under 100km in the saddle. Six climbs follow, but there are no gravel roads for the women to take on this year.
Regardless, the final hill is the Kemmelberg, which they will crest at around 30km to go – much like the men’s race. The approach to the line will be identical, offering a chance for a tense lead-out train battle or a long-range solo effort.
Gent-Wevelgem 2025 favourites
Gent-Wevelgem comes just one weekend before the Tour of Flanders. Because of that, Mathieu van der Poel, Tadej Pogačar and Wout van Aert have all decided to skip this race in preparation. With them out of the frame, a sprint looks likely. A strong contingent of fastmen will be present, including Jonathan Milan, Olav Kooij and Jasper Philipsen. Reigning champion Mads Pedersen will also be a strong contender for victory once again.
In terms of the women’s race, all eyes will be on SD Worx. The Dutch squad have the two favourites: Lorena Wiebes and Lotte Kopecky. Milan-San Remo winner Wiebes won this race last year and she’s on sparkling form, with several sprint victories to her name already this year. As for Kopecky, she’s been making a solid comeback to racing, but she’ll likely be helping Wiebes and trying to get her legs in shape for the Tour of Flanders next week.
Cyclist’s ratings: Men’s race
- ★★★★★: Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck)
- ★★★★: Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek)
- ★★★: Søren Wærenskjold (Uno X Mobility), Paul Magnier (Soudal-QuickStep), Jordi Meeus (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe), Olav Kooij (Visma-Lease a Bike), Michael Matthews (Jayco-AlUla)
- ★★: Bininam Girmay (Intermarché-Wanty), Jonathan Milan (Lidl-Trek), Filippo Ganna (Ineos Grenadiers)
- ★: Mike Teunissen (XDS-Astana), Juan Sebastián Molano (UAE Team Emirates XRG), Brent Van Moer (Lotto), Sam Watson (Ineos Grenadiers), Arnaud De Lie (Lotto), Nils Politt (UAE Team Emirates XRG)
Cyclist’s ratings: Women’s race
- ★★★★★: Lorena Wiebes (SD Worx-ProTime)
- ★★★★: Lotte Kopecky (SD Worx-ProTime), Elisa Balsamo (Lidl-Trek)
- ★★★: Charlotte Kool (Picnic-PostNL), Letizia Paternoster (Liv-AlUla-Jayco)
- ★★: Lara Gillespie (UAE Team ADQ), Pffeifer Georgi (Picnic-PostNL), Marta Lach (SD Worx-ProTime), Amy Wollaston (FDJ-Suez)
- ★: Anniina Ahtosalo (Uno X Mobility), Chiara Consonni (Canyon-SRAM-Zondacrypto), Cat Ferguson (Movistar), Ruby Roseman-Gannon (Liv-AlUla-Jayco),
Marjolein van ‘t Geloof (Arkéa-B&B Hotels), Margot Vanpachtenbeke (VolkerWessels)
Gent-Wevelgem 2025: How to watch
The men’s and women’s Gent-Wevelgem races will be available to watch in the UK and Ireland on TNT Sports, Sporza in Belgium, Max in the USA, FloBikes in the USA or Canada. Throughout Europe, the racing will be broadcast on Eurosport and Discovery+.
If the race isn’t being broadcast in your country or you are travelling abroad, a VPN will allow you to hide your device’s location to access content that is normally geo-blocked. One such example is ExpressVPN, which is very well reviewed, helps users to find way to watch cycling without having to pay for broadcasters’ services, and costs £5.36 per month, with three months free. Other options include NordVPN, Surfshark and Kapersky.
- Read more: How to watch cycling for less in the UK
- Read more: Which countries can watch cycling for free in 2025?
Men’s Gent-Wevelgem 2025: Broadcast times
All times are listed in BST (British Summer Time)
Men’s Gent-Wevelgem 2025
Discovery+: 12:40 – 16:00
TNT Sports 4: 12:45 – 15:45
Women’s Gent-Wevelgem 2025
Discovery+: 15:00 – 17:30
TNT Sports 4: 15:45 – 17:15
Men’s Gent-Wevelgem 2025 start list
Data powered by FirstCycling.com
Women’s Gent-Wevelgem 2025 start list
Data powered by FirstCycling.com
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