This year’s Gent-Wevelgem was certainly one for the hard-men as high winds saw some riders forced off the road and off their bikes. What is usually a race for the sprinters became a case of the last man standing.
A very select group of riders, consisting of most of the pre-race favourites, moved away on the third climb of the Catsberg. With a never-say-die attitude, Luca Paolini (Katusha), who had been on the ground twice, found the fortitude to bridge the gap to this elite group and get the jump on them in the run into the finish. Niki Terpstra (Etixx-QuickStep) beat E3 Harelbeke winner Geraint Thomas (Team Sky) for second place.
It’s Paolini’s second cobbled Classics victory after winning Omploop Het Nieuwsblad in 2013. Watch full highlights of Paolini’s victory below and to subscribe to the Cyclingnews video channel, click here.