Ghent-Wevelgem 2024: the most important facts in brief
- Date: 24 March 2024, expected arrival ~ 16:20 hrs
- Distance: 253 kilometres
- Start: Ypres, GoalWevelgem
- Profileflat, hilly second half
- UCI category: World Tour
- OrganiserFlanders Classics
- Premiere: 1934
- Last year's winnerChristophe Laporte
- Track, TV broadcast & live stream
The TOUR favourites by stars*
* Juan Sebastian Molano, Jonathan Milan, Jasper Stuyven, Biniam Girmay, Kasper Asgreen, Tiesj Benoot
** Michael Matthews, Nils Politt, Stefan Küng, Tim Merlier
*** Matej Mohoric, Arnaud De Lie, Olav Kooij
**** Mads Pedersen, Jasper Philipsen
***** Mathieu van der Poel
* The more stars a driver receives, the stronger he is rated
Gent-Wevelgem: Who will succeed Christophe Laporte?
In 2023, Christophe Laporte and Wout van Aert rode side by side across the finish line at Gent-Wevelgem, with Van Aert handing victory to Laporte. A similarly dominant performance from the Dutch team is unlikely this year. Because neither Laporte nor van Aert are on the start list. Instead, the Dutch team is likely to focus its tactics on its sprinter Olav Kooij. The 22-year-old has already proven his good form this spring with two stage wins at Paris-Nice. With Tiesj Benoot, Visma | Lease a Bike also has a candidate at the start who could break away with a group.
Alpecin-Deceuninck with two trump cards
In the absence of van Aert, his big rival Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck) is the top favourite at Gent-Wevelgem this year. especially after his performance at the E3 Saxo Classic on Friday. And that's not all. Alpecin-Deceuninck also has a plan B for a bunch sprint with Jasper Philipsen. The winner of Milan-San Remo is in top form.
Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek) is the most likely rider to be feared by the Belgian team's pros. The Dane can be expected to break away with a small group on the Kemmelberg. But he could just as easily win in a bunch sprint. Jonathan Milan - most recently a two-time stage winner at Tirreno-Adriatico - would probably be an even better option for Lidl-Trek. The Americans also have another trump card in Jasper Stuyven. The Belgian proved on Friday with second place in Harelbeke that he is in good shape.
Category Pedersen, De Lie, Matthews
Arnaud De Lie (Lotto-Dstny) is just as versatile as Pedersen. However, the 22-year-old has not yet really hit his stride this season - he has yet to record a victory. De Lie is just as explosive as Pedersen and can also win sprints from larger groups. The Pedersen/De Lie group also includes Michael Matthews (Team Jayco-AlUla). The Australian finished second behind Philipsen at Milan-San Remo.
Tim Merlier (Soudal - Quick Step) is a little less mountain-proof. The Belgian is manager Patrick Lefevere's team's card for a bunch sprint, but will struggle on the Kemmelberg. For an early attack, Soudal - Quick Step has Kasper Asgreen, the former winner of the Tour of Flanders, with them.
Opportunities for Politt, Küng, Mohoric and Girmay?
From a German perspective, Nils Politt (UAE Team Emirates) has the best chance of a good result. The rider from Cologne is in very good form, which he proved with second place at Omloop het Nieuwsblad. However, Politt only has realistic chances if the race is ridden hard and the preliminary decision is made on the Kemmelberg. Otherwise, the team from the Emirates will rely on their sprinter Juan Sebastian Molano.
Stefan Küng (Groupama-FDJ) and Matej Mohoric (Bahrain-Victorious) will need a similarly tough race as Politt to show off their qualities. In top form, Biniam Girmay (Intermarche-Wanty) would also be a candidate for victory again. The man from Eritrea already won Gent-Wevelgem in 2022, but this year he is probably a few percentage points short of victory.
Gent-Wevelgem 2024 - Participants: The start list
Visma | Lease a Bike
- 1 Tiesj Benoot
- 2 Olav Kooij
- 3 Jan Tratnik
- 4 Edoardo Affini
- 5 Tosh van der Sande
- 6 Mick van Dijke
- 7 Tim van Dijke
Alpecin-Deceuninck
- 11 Mathieu van der Poel
- 12 Jasper Philipsen
- 13 Timo Kielich
- 14 Sören Kragh Andersen
- 15 Silvan Dillier
- 16 Ramon Sinkeldam
- 17 Gianni Vermeersch
Intermarche-Wanty
- 21 Biniam Girmay
- 22 Madis Mihkels
- 23 Hugo Page
- 24 Laurenz Rex
- 25 Adrien Petit
- 26 Mike Teunissen
- 27 Georg Zimmermann
Soudal - Quick Step
- 31 Tim Merlier
- 32 Yves Lampaert
- 33 Gil Gelders
- 34 Josef Cerny
- 35 Bert van Lerberghe
- 36 Kasper Asgreen
- 37 Luke Lamperti
Arkea-B&B Hotels
- 41 Arnaud Demare
- 42 David Dekker
- 43 Mathis Le Berre
- 44 Luca Mozzato
- 45 Daniel McLay
- 46 Miles Scotson
- 47 Alan Riou
Astana Qazaqstan Team
- 51 Cees Bol
- 52 Yevgeniy Fedorov
- 53 Michele Gazzoli
- 54 Yevgeniy Gidich
- 55 Max Kanter
- 56 Michael Morkov
- 57 Gleb Syritsa
Bahrain-Victorious
- 61 Matej Mohoric
- 62 Matevz Govekar
- 63 Kamil Gradek
- 64 Fran Miholjevic
- 65 Andrea Pasqualon
- 66 Dusan Rajovic
- 67 Fred Wright
Bora-Hansgrohe
- 71 Jordi Meeus
- 72 Nico Denz
- 73 Marco Haller
- 74 Filip Maciejuk
- 75 Ryan Mullen
- 76 Luis-Joe Lührs
- 77 Danny van Poppel
Cofidis
- 81 Piet Allegaert
- 82 Stanislaw Aniolkowski
- 83 Aime De Gendt
- 84 Milan Fretin
- 85 Nolann Mahoudo
- 86 Alexis Renard
- 87 Axel Zingle
Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale
- 91 Oliver Naesen
- 92 Edvald Boasson-Hagen
- 93 Dries De Bondt
- 94 Sander De Pestel
- 95 Pierre Gautherat
- 96 Jordan Labrosse
- 97 Sam Bennett
EF Education EasyPost
- 101 Stefan Bissegger
- 103 Jack Gray-Rootkin
- 104 Jonas Rutsch
- 105 Harry Sweeny
- 106 Michael Valgren
- 107 Yuhi Todome
Groupama-FDJ
- 111 Stefan Küng
- 112 Lewis Askey
- 113 Sven Erik Byström
- 114 Olivier Le Gac
- 115 Fabian Lienhard
- 116 Laurence Pithie
- 117 Samuel Watson
Ineos Grenadiers
- 121 Jhonatan Narvaez
- 122 Elia Viviani
- 123 Cameron Litter
- 124 Magnus Sheffield
- 125 Ben Swift
- 126 Connor Swift
- 127 Ben Turner
Lidl Trek
- 131 Mads Pedersen
- 132 Otto Vergaerde
- 133 Edward Theuns
- 134 Daan Hoole
- 135 Alex Kirsch
- 136 Jonathan Milan
- 137 Jasper Stuyven
Movistar
- 141 Fernando Gaviria
- 142 Mathias Norsgaard
- 143 Johan Jacobs
- 144 Davide Cimolai
- 145 Manlio Moro
- 146 Lorenzo Milesi
- 147 Albert Torres
Team dsm-firmenich PostNL
- 151 John Degenkolb
- 152 Patrick Eddy
- 153 Julius van den Berg
- 154 Nils Eekhoff
- 155 Enzo Leijnse
- 156 Niklas Märkl
- 157 Casper van Uden
Team Jayco-AlUla
- 161 Michael Matthews
- 162 Luke Durbridge
- 163 Dylan Groenewegen
- 164 Luka Mezgec
- 165 Kelland O'Brien
- 166 Elmar Reinders
- 167 Max Walscheid
UAE Team Emirates
- 171 Juan Sebastian Molano
- 172 Ivo Oliveira
- 173 Mikkel Bjerg
- 174 Alvaro Hodeg
- 175 Antonio Morgado
- 176 Nils Politt
- 177 Michael Vink
Israel-Premier Tech
- 181 Hugo Hofstetter
- 182 Hugo Houle
- 183 Oded Kogut
- 184 Riley Pickrell
- 185 Jake Stewart
- 186 Corbin Strong
- 187 Tom van Asbroeck
Lotto-Dstny
- 191 Arnaud De Lie
- 193 Cedric Beullens
- 194 Mathijs Paasschens
- 195 Lionel Taminiaux
- 196 Liam Slock
- 197 Brent van Moer
- 198 Jasper De Buyst
Uno-X Mobility
- 201 Alexander Kristoff
- 202 Jonas Abrahamsen
- 203 Stian Fredheim
- 204 Tord Gudmestad
- 205 Erik Nordsaeter Resell
- 206 Rasmus Tiller
- 207 William Blume Levy
Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team
- 211 Szymon Sajnok
- 212 Fabio Christen
- 213 Tobias Ludvigsson
- 214 Kamil Malecki
- 215 Cyrus Monk
- 217 Nicolo Parisini
Team Flanders-Baloise
- 221 Lars Craps
- 222 Jasper Dejaegher
- 223 Sieves Deweirdt
- 224 Jules Hesters
- 225 Noah Vandenbranden
- 226 Yentl Vandevelde
- 227 Dylan Vandenstrome
TotalEnergies
- 231 Dries van Gestel
- 232 Lucas Boniface
- 233 Sandy Dujardin
- 234 Thomas Gachignard
- 235 Emilien Jeanniere
- 236 Lorrenzo Manzin
- 237 Anthony Turgis
Tudor Pro Cycling Team
- 241 Matteo Trentin
- 242 Sebastian Kolze Changizi
- 243 Jacob Eriksson
- 244 Petr Kelemen
- 245 Marius Mayrhofer
- 246 Rick Pluimers
- 247 Maikel Zijlaard
