The Gent–Wevelgem is a Flanders Classics cycle road race held in Belgium in late March each year. The event was first run in 1934, and it is often called the sprinters’ classic due to its flat finishing terrain (sounds like my kind of race!). Its early-season date means riders are often tested by wind and rain (ok, maybe NOT my kind of race). Further challenges include a number of climbs, including two ascents of the cobbled (definitely not my kind of race), difficult, and often selective Kemmelberg.
Indeed, the selectivity of the course means that very few editions of Gent–Wevelgem actually end in a bunch sprint. A smaller elite group (including some sprinters) often contest the finish line. In recent years, the race has been situated on the Wednesday between de Ronde van Vlaanderen and Paris–Roubaix, and while not officially part of the Vlaamse Wielerweek (Flemish cycling week), it can be seen as an unofficial finale of the series of cycling classics in Flanders. In 2010 the fixed date of the race shifted from the Wednesday after the Ronde van Vlaanderen to the Sunday before the Ronde. Since 2005 the race has been part of the UCI ProTour, and since 2009, part of the UCI World Ranking calendar.
Despite its name, the race hasn’t started in Ghent since 2004, traditionally beginning on the market square of nearby Deinze. The course then sets westward towards the Belgian coastal region, after which it moves southwards near the French border towards the Monteberg and Kemmelberg, before heading towards Wevelgem. The 73rd edition was held on March 27, 2011, and covered 219 kilometres.
In 2012, a women’s race was added to the weekend. The inaugural was won by Lizzie Armitstead, of Team AA Drink/leontien.nl, after a 40-km solo breakaway.
American George Hincappie won Gent-Wevelgem in 2001 with the US Postal team in a sprint with five other riders, which I think is quite a feat because the Flemish view the spring classics as their super bowl or world series or some such goofy event.
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