Gent-Wevelgem is the second installment of the 2022 Flanders Classics and kicks off a big week of Belgian racing, culminating in the Ronde van Vlaanderen. 

First held in 1934, Gent-Wevelgem in Flanders Fields serves as a remembrance for the hundreds of thousands of allied troops who lost their lives in the very fields the race passes through.

In the modern era, Gent-Wevelgem has been known as a sprinter’s classics. Riders such as Mario Cipollini, Tom Boonen and John Degenkolb have all emerged victorious in Wevelgem after a bunch kick. The extremely narrow and technical roads en route to cobbled Kemmelberg however provides an opportunity for classics specialists to get rid of sprinters in the final hours of racing.

In 2021, Jumbo-Visma’s Wout Van Aert took the victory after a lead-out from teammate Nathan Van Hooydonck in a reduced seven-man group.

Read on for FloBikes favorites for the 2022 edition of Gent-Wevelgem.

Wout van Aert

Defending champion Wout Van Aert opened his season with a resounding win at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad. He will be backed by the mighty Jumbo-Visma squad after their forceful showing at Paris-Nice, where Van Aert finished on the podium in six of the eight stages, won the points jersey, and was instrumental in Primoz Roglic’s overall victory.

While Van Aert seems nearly unbeatable going into Gent-Wevelgem, his competitors are sure to keep the Belgian champion on a very short leash.

Matteo Trentin

In the 2021 edition of Gent-Wevelgem, Matteo-Trentin was outpowered by Wout van Aert in a seven-man sprint. Trentin has the technical ability to thrive on the narrow, windy, and technical roads of Gent-Wevelgem and the power to attack over the climbs.

The Italian is always a favorite for a reduced sprint in the classics, but will likely work for his new teammate Pascal Ackermann, should the race come down to a larger group sprint.

Sonny Colbrelli

Sonny Colbrelli’s career leveled up after his emotional sprint victory in the famed Vélodrome André-Pétrieux at the 2021 Paris-Roubaix. Colbrelli, like Trentin, has long been a threat in classics sprints, but after the form he demonstrated last fall, Colbrelli is now an outright favorite for the spring classics.

Wout van Aert’s solo escapade ruined Colbrelli’s otherwise perfect sprint at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad. Colbrelli will surely do everything in his power to keep Van Aert in check at Gent-Wevelgem.

Mads Pederson

In 2021, two positive Covid tests derailed Mads Pederson’s classics campaign. The 2020 Gent-Wevelgem winner appears to be on track for a strong showing this year following his Paris-Nice stage win in which he outsprinted Wout van Aert, amongst others.

Pedersen may have more of a sprint in his legs that most people expect this year. Look to see the dynamic duo of Pedersen and teammate Jasper Stuyven throwing a wrench in Jumbo Visma’s plans at Gent-Wevelgem.