Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek) won today’s Gent-Wevelgem, after the Danish rider held off Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck) during the closing meters to claim his second victory in the Belgian Classic. of a two-man sprint to win Gent-Wevelgem for a second time.
The battle between the two riders got underway after they escaped the main field along the final climb of the Kemmelberg.
From there, the duo went head-to-head finish after being out front for the final 35km.
Pedersen led van der Poel under the flamme rouge, with the Dutchman appearing ready to pounce at any moment. But, with the finish in sight, the Lidl-Trek rider commenced a fierce acceleration that left his rival unable to respond, sitting up just before the line in an act of concession.
In the meantime, Jordi Meeus (Bora-Hansgrohe) brought home the rest of the chase some 16 seconds down on the leaders, with Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck) edging out Jonathan Milan (Lidl-Trek) for fourth while Olav Kooij (Visma-Lease a Bike) took sixth.
Race Highlights
On the first ascent of the Kemmelberg, Van der Poel looked to test his rivals, accelerating away from the peloton, a move that was quickly followed by Laurence Pithie (Groupama-FDJ) and Lidl-Trek trio of Pedersen, Jasper Stuyven and Jonathan Milan, the latter attacking alone over the three gravel streets.
Milan’s foray lasted around 20km before Van der Poel, Pithie and Pedersen joined him. The Lidl-Trek rider then zipped clear again on the second Kemmelberg test, winding up the pace for his Danish teammate, before dropping back to the peloton.
Pedersen led over the third and final ascent of the Kemmelberg, tackled from the tougher west side, with pitches at 20%.
There, having brushed shoulders with world champions past and present, Pithie lost Van der Poel’s wheel, leaving the duo to jostle for the victory.
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