One of Belgium's oldest ongoing professional bike races, Gent-Wevelgem, has changed its name for the first time since 1934 and moved both race start locations away from the Menin Gate in Ypres, which has played host since 2020.
It will now be called In Flanders Fields – from Middelkerke to Wevelgem, with the former starting a new ten-year partnership to host the start of the men's one-day Spring Classic, and the women's race start will be moved to Wevelgem, where both races will finish.
This moves it in line with how Flanders Classics – the race organisers who announced the news on Monday – have Dwars door Vlaanderen and the Tour of Flanders set up, with the men's race starting in a different location before the women's race starts and finishes in the same place.
Middelkerke is just over 40km north-west of Ypres on Belgium's North Sea coastline, while the race's now former namesake city of Gent hasn't hosted a race start since 2003, after it was moved not far to the west of the city to Deinze.
"We are particularly pleased to announce the start of a long-term partnership here today. Sustainable partnerships are something we are very eager to invest in," said Flanders Classics CEO Tomas Van Den Spiegel.
"The big change, a ten-year contract and a shared commitment have prompted us to give the race a new official name In Flanders Fields - from Middelkerke to Wevelgem. Naturally, Gent-Wevelgem will still be mentioned given its history, but in this way, we further highlight the unique DNA of this race. And so, a new chapter and one we are enthusiastically looking forward to."
Raced over a flatter parcours than the likes of the E3 Saxo Classic, Dwars and De Ronde, which, with it, make up a 10-day block of thrilling racing in Flanders each spring, Gent-Wevelgem has been won by several different types of riders in recent years.
Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek) has won the past two editions in a thrilling sprint á deux against Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck) and in dominant solo fashion this past season, and though the start has changed, laps of the Kemmelberg climb will remain the key point on the race.
The women's race has had different finales, however, with top sprinter Lorena Wiebes (SD Worx-Protime) scorching her way to back-to-back victories in the past two seasons.
Also key to the route will be the narrow gravel Plugstreets and the windy De Moeren section, where racing can often blow up in the opening couple of hours. Van Den Spiegel also ensured that World War I would still be honoured as it has been with the Ypres start, with the riders set to pass through Ypres' centre en route to the final.
"Work on how the final course will look is still very much ongoing. One thing is certain: the Great War will always remain deeply intertwined with this race," added Van Den Spiegel.
"The aim is also to keep the passage through the centre of Ypres in the final part of the race. This race is steeped in world history, giving it a truly unmatched identity in the world of cycling. That is something we will keep building on."
Van Den Spiegel also explained how the UCI's maximum race distance for women's races was the reason why the elite women's race couldn't also be moved to Middelkerke, so Wevelgem made sense as the start location, too. The youth races will maintain the Ypres start as has been seen in recent seasons.
The first running of the renamed In Flanders Fields – from Middelkerke to Wevelgem and the 88th and 13th respective editions of the men's and women's Gent-Wevelgem will take place on March 29, 2026, on the Wednesday before the Tour of Flanders.
