Gent-Wevelgem 2022 [LAST 20 KM]

March 27, 2022

Gent-Wevelgem 2022 – Ypres – Wevelgem : 248,8 km

Gent-Wevelgem will, like it has done for the best part of the last 88 years, fall on the final Sunday in March and mark the one-week countdown to the biggest Belgian Classic of the season. The race has everything a proper Classic should have, from leg-breaking cobbled climbs to giant super-highways blasted by vicious crosswinds. This hotchpotch of obstacles make it one of the most unpredictable races on the calendar and a Classic that nearly anyone could win. Who will get the honour of adding Gent-Wevelgem to their palmares this year? The Gent-Wevelgem organisers have followed a tried and tested formula for the last few years, orchestrating an attritional race with a mix of pan-flat highways, narrow cobbled climbs and dicey gravel sectors. This year’s race will keep up that tradition and follow a 249km-long route between Gent and Wevelgem that features nine categorised climbs, 10 cobblestone sectors and three gravel sectors.

Biniam Girmay (Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert Matériaux) made history at Gent-Wevelgem, the Eritrean taking the win by outsprinting Christophe Laporte (Jumbo-Visma) in the final 250 metres of the cobbled Classic for the biggest win of his young career.

The 21-year-old was part of the four-man group that stole away on the flat run to the finish after the final ascent of the cobbled Kemmelberg. The quartet held off a spirited chase from behind to contest the sprint, with Dries van Gestel (TotalEnergies) taking third ahead of Jasper Stuyven (Trek-Segafredo).

“It’s unbelievable, amazing. I cannot expect this. We just change my plan a few days ago on Friday. We just came for a good result. This race is amazing. Unbelievable,” Girmay said after the finish about being the first African champion of the race.

“I don’t think [I’ll stay for Tour of Flanders]. I stayed here a long time – three months. I miss my wife and daughter so I go back home.”

The crucial selection in the race was formed 24km from the finish, when Girmay, Laporte, Stuyven and Van Gestel broke clear of a large group that had formed on the aftermath of the final ascent of the Kemmelberg.

With top sprinters Arnaud Demare (Groupama-FDJ) Tim Merlier and Jasper Philipsen (both Alpecin-Fenix) all still present in that group, there was a committed chase, but the leading quartet rode well enough together to stay clear.

The sprint for victory was bound to be a tight one, with all four riders packing a significant punch.

“Of course I feel much better but also there’s really strong guys with me so I’m a bit afraid. But I felt confident in the last 250 metres. It’s unbelievable, yeah. It changed a lot in the future, especially for all African riders,” Girmay said.

“I lost many places, especially on the first section and on the first cobblestones. I felt a bit uncomfortable. But after i felt better and better, rode smart, followed. Then in the end you know everybody is waiting for Van Aert so I played it a bit easy.”

How it unfolded
As a race that often hinges on how strong the wind blows, it came as a disappointment for any riders hoping for more of a selective race when they woke up to calm, mild conditions.

Still, there were three ascents of the cobbled Kemmelberg to contend with, along with six other major climbs, and three gravel ‘Plugstreet’ sectors, too, before a flat run to the finish line.

The first, flat half of the race therefore proceeded mostly without incident, as the riders waited for the climbs to start before they began racing in earnest.

A seven-man break went up the road consisting of Jelle Wallays (Lotto Soudal), Johan Jacobs (Movistar), Nikias Arndt (Team DSM), Alexander Konychev (BikeExchange-Jayco), Lars Saugstad (Uno-X), Ludovic Robeet (Bingoal-Pauwels Sauces-WB) and Lindsay De Vylder (Sport Vlaanderen-Baloise).

Their lead came close to seven minutes, but work from the likes of QuickStep-AlphaVinyl and Jumbo-Visma kept them under control.

The pace picked up in the peloton as the teams vied for position ahead of the first climb of the day, the Scherpenberg, 97km from the finish.

Amid the increased pace was also the first crash of the day, as several riders fell into a ditch at a pinch point 105km from the finish, including Florian Senechal (QuickStep-AlphaVinyl).

The incident caused splits in the peloton, with multiple smaller groups having to chase back on, with Tom Pidcock (Ineso Grenadiers), Matteo Trentin (UAE Team Emirates) and Sep Vanmarcke (Israel-PremierTech) among those caught out.

Jumbo-Visma and Bahrain-Victorious won the battle for position ahead of the Scherpenberg, and were still the most prominent teams at the next climb, the Baneberg, but the latter lost one of their men after the climb as Kamil Gradek went down in a crash also involving Brent Van Moer (Lotto-Soudal).

Although his teammate Davide Ballerini slightly overshot the corner leading onto the first ascent of the Kemmelberg, Kasper Asgreen led the peloton for some of the climb, before Wout van Aert (Jumbo-Visma) took over going over the top.

The peloton was still large after this key climb, but was missing Peter Sagan (TotalEnergies), who had been dropped.

Rather than a climb, it was a flat section shortly after the Kemmelberg 78km from the finish that saw the first dangerous selection form, when Matej Mohorič (Bahrain-Victorious) accelerated at the front of the peloton, and brought around 15 riders with him including Asgreen, Greg Van Avermaet (Ag2r Citroen), Biniam Girmay (Intermatche-Wanty-Gobert) and Arnaud Demare (Groupama-FDJ).

This group caught the break during the plugstreets, and they held a gap of around 20 seconds over the peloton, where TotalEnergies were leading the chase.

Their work proved to be enough, and the catch was made with 58km left to ride, meaning a leading group made it to the second ascent of the Kemmelberg together.

Van Aert and Asgreen were again the leaders on that climb, and took 13 riders with them, with Mads Pedersen (Trek-Segafredo), Arnaud Demare and Victor Campanaerts (Lotto Soudal) especially prominent. But as happened earlier there was enough of an organised chase behind to bring them back, and the race was again back together 45km from the finish.

Despite a few attacks from riders including Van Avermaet and Tiesj Benoot (Jumbo-Visma) then Anthony Turgis (TotalEnergies) and Jacobs, the group remained together for the day’s penultimate climb, Baneberg, where Olivier Le Gac (Groupama-FDJ) and Tiej Benoot again tried to go clear to no avail.

That left just one climb to make a difference, the third and final time up the Kemmelberg.

Van Aert started the climb a few wheels back from where he would have liked, but produced a brutal acceleration to move to the front and crest the summit with a small gap.

He was joined by Asgreen, Mads Pedersen (TrekSegafredo), Søren Kragh Andersen (DSM), Mohoric, Dylan van Baarle (Ineos Grenadiers), and teammates Benoot and Laporte on the descent, in what was a very strong looking group.

But the presence of Van Aert and so many Jumbo-Visma riders seemed to discourage the other riders from working, and another group was able to join them 27km from the finish which included fast finishers Démare, Philipsen and Girmay.

Shortly after this regroupment the race-winning move was made, as Laporte, Girmay, Styven and Van Gestel went clear 24km from the finish. Van Avermaet and Rasmus Tiller (Uno-X) tried to bridge up to them, but sat up when they found themselves stuck in no-man’s land.

The quartet’s advantage grew to about 40 seconds, but looked in danger of being caught towards the end, as it fell to just 20 seconds with 3.5km to go. However, an attack from Kragh Andersen appeared to take the impetus out of the chase 2km from the finish, and the quartet were left to sprint for victory.

It was a close-run thing at the line as Girmay launched his final dash very early with 250 metres to go – a huge distance for a finishing sprint – but the Eritrean held off Laporte to claim the win.

Results :
1 Biniam Girmay (Eri) Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert Matériaux 5:37:57
2 Christophe Laporte (Fra) Jumbo-Visma
3 Dries Van Gestel (Bel) TotalEnergies
4 Jasper Stuyven (Bel) Trek-Segafredo
5 Søren Kragh Andersen (Den) Team DSM 0:00:08
6 Tim Merlier (Bel) Alpecin-Fenix
7 Mads Pedersen (Den) Trek-Segafredo
8 Ivan Garcia Cortina (Spa) Movistar Team
9 Matej Mohoric (Slo) Bahrain Victorious
10 Arnaud Demare (Fra) Groupama-FDJ
11 Alexander Kristoff (Nor) Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert Matériaux
12 Wout Van Aert (Bel) Jumbo-Visma
13 Luka Mezgec (Slo) BikeExchange-Jayco
14 Andrea Pasqualon (Ita) Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert Matériaux
15 Robbe Ghys (Bel) Sport Vlaanderen-Baloise
16 Laurenz Rex (Bel) Bingoal Pauwels Sauces WB
17 Greg Van Avermaet (Bel) AG2R Citroen Team
18 Arjen Livyns (Bel) Bingoal Pauwels Sauces WB
19 Florian Vermeersch (Bel) Lotto Soudal
20 Piet Allegaert (Bel) Cofidis
21 Jasper Philipsen (Bel) Alpecin-Fenix
22 Jonas Koch (Ger) Bora-Hansgrohe
23 Marijn van den Berg (Ned) EF Education-EasyPost
24 Simone Consonni (Ita) Cofidis
25 Alex Aranburu Deba (Spa) Movistar Team
26 Anthony Turgis (Fra) TotalEnergies
27 John Degenkolb (Ger) Team DSM
28 Ben Turner (GBr) Ineos Grenadiers
29 Anders Skaarseth (Nor) Uno-X Pro Cycling Team
30 Rasmus Tiller (Nor) Uno-X Pro Cycling Team
31 Cedric Beullens (Bel) Lotto Soudal
32 Kasper Asgreen (Den) Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl Team
33 Victor Campenaerts (Bel) Lotto Soudal
34 Tiesj Benoot (Bel) Jumbo-Visma
35 Michael Valgren (Den) EF Education-EasyPost
36 Stefan Küng (Swi) Groupama-FDJ
37 Frederik Frison (Bel) Lotto Soudal
38 Adrien Petit (Fra) Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert Matériaux
39 Yves Lampaert (Bel) Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl Team 0:00:14
40 Alex Kirsch (Lux) Trek-Segafredo 0:00:17
41 Dylan van Baarle (Ned) Ineos Grenadiers 0:00:25
42 Olivier Le Gac (Fra) Groupama-FDJ
43 Max Kanter (Ger) Movistar Team 0:00:27
44 Johan Jacobs (Swi) Movistar Team
45 Fred Wright (GBr) Bahrain Victorious 0:00:29
46 Gianni Vermeersch (Bel) Alpecin-Fenix 0:00:42
47 Jasha Sütterlin (Ger) Bahrain Victorious 0:01:20
48 Arnaud De Lie (Bel) Lotto Soudal
49 Nikias Arndt (Ger) Team DSM 0:01:22
50 Heinrich Haussler (Aus) Bahrain Victorious 0:01:29
51 Mike Teunissen (Ned) Jumbo-Visma 0:01:30
52 Aimé De Gendt (Bel) Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert Matériaux
53 Kenneth Van Rooy (Bel) Sport Vlaanderen-Baloise
54 Lindsay De Vylder (Bel) Sport Vlaanderen-Baloise
55 Hugo Houle (Can) Israel-Premier Tech
56 Rui Oliveira (Por) UAE Team Emirates
57 Silvan Dillier (Swi) Alpecin-Fenix
58 Tom Scully (NZl) EF Education-EasyPost
59 Oliver Naesen (Bel) AG2R Citroen Team 0:01:36
60 Stan Dewulf (Bel) AG2R Citroen Team
61 Edward Theuns (Bel) Trek-Segafredo
62 Nathan Van Hooydonck (Bel) Jumbo-Visma
63 Stanislaw Aniolkowski (Pol) Bingoal Pauwels Sauces WB 0:01:42
64 Bert Van Lerberghe (Bel) Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl Team 0:01:49
65 Kévin Geniets (Lux) Groupama-FDJ
66 Damien Touze (Fra) AG2R Citroen Team 0:01:56
67 Thomas Pidcock (GBr) Ineos Grenadiers
68 Fabio Jakobsen (Ned) Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl Team 0:07:06
69 Elia Viviani (Ita) Ineos Grenadiers
70 Matteo Trentin (Ita) UAE Team Emirates
71 Niki Terpstra (Ned) TotalEnergies
72 Tobias Ludvigsson (Swe) Groupama-FDJ
73 Filippo Fiorelli (Ita) Bardiani CSF Faizane’
74 Luca Mozzato (Ita) B&B Hotels-KTM
75 Imanol Erviti (Spa) Movistar Team
76 Wesley Kreder (Ned) Cofidis
77 Sep Vanmarcke (Bel) Israel-Premier Tech
78 Yukiya Arashiro (Jpn) Bahrain Victorious
79 Nils Politt (Ger) Bora-Hansgrohe 0:09:56
80 Arne Marit (Bel) Sport Vlaanderen-Baloise
81 Marco Haller (Aut) Bora-Hansgrohe
82 Niklas Märkl (Ger) Team DSM
83 Pierre Barbier (Fra) B&B Hotels-KTM
84 Fabian Lienhard (Swi) Groupama-FDJ
85 Antoine Raugel (Fra) AG2R Citroen Team
86 Kristoffer Halvorsen (Nor) Uno-X Pro Cycling Team
87 Filip Maciejuk (Pol) Bahrain Victorious
88 Alexander Konychev (Ita) BikeExchange-Jayco
89 Manuele Boaro (Ita) Astana Qazaqstan Team
90 Jonas Rutsch (Ger) EF Education-EasyPost
91 Gijs Van Hoecke (Bel) AG2R Citroen Team
92 Edvald Boasson-Hagen (Nor) TotalEnergies
93 Lars Saugstad (Nor) Uno-X Pro Cycling Team
94 Julien Morice (Fra) B&B Hotels-KTM
95 Jelle Wallays (Bel) Cofidis
96 Stefan Bissegger (Swi) EF Education-EasyPost
97 Sebastian Langeveld (Ned) EF Education-EasyPost
98 Michael Schär (Swi) AG2R Citroen Team
99 Daan Hoole (Ned) Trek-Segafredo
100 Otto Vergaerde (Bel) Trek-Segafredo
101 André Carvalho (Por) Cofidis
102 Sacha Modolo (Ita) Bardiani CSF Faizane’
103 Vito Braet (Bel) Sport Vlaanderen-Baloise
104 Maciej Bodnar (Pol) TotalEnergies
105 Mathijs Paasschens (Ned) Bingoal Pauwels Sauces WB
106 Sam Bennett (Irl) Bora-Hansgrohe
DNF Leonardo Basso (Ita) Astana Qazaqstan Team
DNF Edoardo Affini (Ita) Jumbo-Visma
DNF Michele Gazzoli (Ita) Astana Qazaqstan Team
DNF Fabio Felline (Ita) Astana Qazaqstan Team
DNF Timo Roosen (Ned) Jumbo-Visma
DNF Davide Martinelli (Ita) Astana Qazaqstan Team
DNF Jasper De Buyst (Bel) Lotto Soudal
DNF Kamil Gradek (Pol) Bahrain Victorious
DNF Gianni Moscon (Ita) Astana Qazaqstan Team
DNF Iljo Keisse (Bel) Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl Team
DNF Davide Ballerini (Ita) Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl Team
DNF Taco van der Hoorn (Ned) Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert Matériaux
DNF Kevin Van Melsen (Bel) Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert Matériaux
DNF Brent Van Moer (Bel) Lotto Soudal
DNF Florian Senechal (Fra) Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl Team
DNF Artyom Zakharov (Kaz) Astana Qazaqstan Team
DNF Luca Colnaghi (Ita) Bardiani CSF Faizane’
DNF Jenthe Biermans (Bel) Israel-Premier Tech
DNF Oliviero Troia (Ita) UAE Team Emirates
DNF Pascal Ackermann (Ger) UAE Team Emirates
DNF Maurice Ballerstedt (Ger) Alpecin-Fenix
DNF Jonas Rickaert (Bel) Alpecin-Fenix
DNF Guillaume Van Keirsbulck (Bel) Alpecin-Fenix
DNF Peter Sagan (Svk) TotalEnergies
DNF Daniel Oss (Ita) TotalEnergies
DNF Jens Debusschere (Bel) B&B Hotels-KTM
DNF Quentin Jauregui (Fra) B&B Hotels-KTM
DNF Maximiliano Richeze (Arg) UAE Team Emirates
DNF Jordi Warlop (Bel) B&B Hotels-KTM
DNF Quinn Simmons (USA) Trek-Segafredo
DNF Enrico Battaglin (Ita) Bardiani CSF Faizane’
DNF Alessandro Tonelli (Ita) Bardiani CSF Faizane’
DNF Enrico Zanoncello (Ita) Bardiani CSF Faizane’
DNF Davide Gabburo (Ita) Bardiani CSF Faizane’
DNF Timothy Dupont (Bel) Bingoal Pauwels Sauces WB
DNF Ludovic Robeet (Bel) Bingoal Pauwels Sauces WB
DNF Dimitri Peyskens (Bel) Bingoal Pauwels Sauces WB
DNF Alex Colman (Bel) Sport Vlaanderen-Baloise
DNF Milan Fretin (Bel) Sport Vlaanderen-Baloise
DNF Lasse Norman Hansen (Den) Uno-X Pro Cycling Team
DNF Erik Nordsaeter Resell (Nor) Uno-X Pro Cycling Team
DNF Cyril Lemoine (Fra) B&B Hotels-KTM
DNF Itamar Einhorn (Isr) Israel-Premier Tech
DNF Danny van Poppel (Ned) Bora-Hansgrohe
DNF Jordi Meeus (Bel) Bora-Hansgrohe
DNF Kenneth Vanbilsen (Bel) Cofidis
DNF Tom Bohli (Swi) Cofidis
DNF Jens Keukeleire (Bel) EF Education-EasyPost
DNF Lewis Askey (GBr) Groupama-FDJ
DNF Jhonatan Narvaez Prado (Ecu) Ineos Grenadiers
DNF Luke Rowe (GBr) Ineos Grenadiers
DNF Ben Swift (GBr) Ineos Grenadiers
DNF Matthias Brändle (Aut) Israel-Premier Tech
DNF Martin Urianstad (Nor) Uno-X Pro Cycling Team
DNF Ryan Mullen (Irl) Bora-Hansgrohe
DNF Taj Jones (Aus) Israel-Premier Tech
DNF Iñigo Elosegui Momeñe (Spa) Movistar Team
DNF Mathias Norsgaard (Den) Movistar Team
DNF Dylan Groenewegen (Ned) BikeExchange-Jayco
DNF Alex Edmondson (Aus) BikeExchange-Jayco
DNF Luke Durbridge (Aus) BikeExchange-Jayco
DNF Sam Bewley (NZl) BikeExchange-Jayco
DNF Kelland O’Brien (Aus) BikeExchange-Jayco
DNF Cees Bol (Ned) Team DSM
DNF Kevin Vermaerke (USA) Team DSM
DNF Leon Heinschke (Ger) Team DSM
DNS Mikkel Bjerg (Den) UAE Team Emirates
DNS Tom Van Asbroeck (Bel) Israel-Premier Tech