Gent-Wevelgem 2022

Biniam Girmay sprints to a historic Gent-Wevelgem victory

All eyes were out Wout van Aert and his Jumbo-Visma teammates to win Gent-Wevelgem, but instead history was made by the young, exciting new talent from Eritrea, Biniam Girmay (Intermarchè-Wanty-Gobert).

Girmay entered into a late move with Van Aert's teammate Christophe Laporte and then blew the doors off his three companions in the final sprint in Wevelgem to give his team their first WorldTour one-day victory since joining the sport's top tier in 2021.

Girmay, 21, was not scheduled to even race in Gent-Wevelgem but after a fine fifth place in the E3 Saxo Bank Classic, he was added to the team and it paid off. He became the first Eritrean and first Black African to win a major Classic.

Girmay begged off extending his Spring Classics season further at the Tour of Flanders and opted to head home to his family.

Overview

Gent-Wevelgem date: March 27, 2022

Distance: 284.5km

Gent-Wevelgem used to be known as 'the sprinters' Classic' but in recent years, modifications to the course have added more climbs and made the race more closely resemble the Tour of Flanders.

In past years, strong sprinters like Alexander Kristoff, Peter Sagan, Greg Van Avermaet and John Degenkolb were among the winners. In 2020, Mads Pedersen (Trek-Segafredo) won from a group of nine and in 2021, it was Wout van Aert (Jumbo-Visma) who emerged victorious with a powerful surge from a seven-man group.

Gent-Wevelgem news and features

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• Ben Turner: A complete package, perhaps the next Luke Rowe
• Girmay confirms he will miss Tour of Flanders
• Alpecin-Fenix play chase blame game after missing out at Gent-Wevelgem
• Winner with a human touch: Girmay finds a home from home at Intermarché
• QuickStep search for response to Van Aert's dominance at Gent-Wevelgem - Preview
• Tom Pidcock to make early comeback at Gent-Wevelgem
• How to watch Gent-Wevelgem – Spring Classics live streaming
• Spring Classics 2022

Wout van Aert wins 2021 Gent-Wevelgem 

Wout van Aert (Jumbo-Visma) laid down a major marker in his quest to win the Tour of Flanders by taking an emphatic victory in Gent-Wevelgem.

The Belgian entered into a very early escape group as the race was blown apart in crosswinds along with teammate Nathan Van Hooydonck, who played a critical in Van Aert's success.

On the second of three ascents of the Kemmelberg, Van Aert whittled down what was a group of 25 riders to just nine, but had sprinters Sam Bennett (Deceuninck-Quickstep), Michael Matthews (BikeExchange), Sonny Colbrelli (Bahrain-Victorious), Matteo Trentin (UAE Team Emirates), Giacomo Nizzolo (Qhubeka-Assos), Danny van Poppel (Intermarché-Wanty Gobert) and time trialist Stefan Küng (Groupama-FDJ) to contend with.

Trentin's pace on the final trip over the key climb dropped Van Hooydonck but he battled back to the leading group and, after helping nail back an attack from Küng, he attacked and distanced Bennett - who had suffered a bout of severe stomach distress - and Van Poppel, then led out the sprint which Van Aert won handily over Nizzolo and Trentin.

2022 Gent-Wevelgem Route

The 84th edition of Gent-Wevelgem offers the men's peloton a 284.5km race that begins in the centre of Ypres and finishes in Wevelgem.

The race travels north, up through windswept De Moeren and toward the North Sea coast. It then heads south along the French border and tackles the nine main climbs of the route: Scherpenberg, Baneberg, Monteberg, Kemmelberg (Belvedere), Monteberg, Kemmelberg (Belvedere), Scherpenberg, Baneberg and lastly, the Kemmelberg (Ossuaire).

The peloton will also take on three plugstreets that pay homage to the victims of the First World War.

Following third and final ascent of the Kemmelberg, which is taken from its steeper western side, all that's left is a tense 34km run-in westwards to the finish in Wevelgem.

2022 Gent-Wevelgem climbs

• Scherpenberg
• Baneberg
• Monteberg
• Kemmelberg (Belvedere)
• Monteberg
• Kemmelberg (Belvedere)
• Scherpenberg
• Baneberg
• Kemmelberg (Ossuaire)

2022 Gent-Wevelgem Teams

• Jumbo-Visma
• QuickStep-AlphaVinyl Team
• Lotto Soudal
• Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert Matériaux
• AG2R Citroën Team
• Astana Qazaqstan Team
• Bahrain Victorious
• Bora-Hansgrohe
• Cofidis
• EF Education-EasyPost
• Groupama-FDJ
• Ineos Grenadiers
• Israel-Premier Tech
• Movistar Team
• Team BikeExchange-Jayco
• Team DSM
• Trek-Segafredo
• UAE Team Emirates
• Alpecin-Fenix
• TotalEnergies
• B&B Hotels-KTM
• Bardiani-CSF-Faizanè
• Bingoal Pauwels Sauces WB
• Sport Vlaanderen-Baloise
• Uno-X Pro Cycling Team