The cobbled classic, which takes place in Flanders, should crown a new leader this year, notably with the presence of Mathieu van der Poel.
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Who will succeed Christophe Laporte, crowned in 2023? The third Flemish cobbled classic of the season, Ghent-Wevelgem, once again offers a very large field of sprinters, Sunday March 24. Tim Merlier, Olav Kooij, Jasper Philipsen, Arnaud Démare or Mads Pedersen: they will almost all be at the start in Ypres, ready to embark on the 253.7 kilometers of a flat course in its first half, before accumulating the mountains and paved sectors in the last 100 kilometers.
If Mathieu van der Poel, model teammate for Philipsen on Milan-San Remo, will be present after three years of absence, Wout van Aert will be absent after having finished third at the E3 Saxo Classic on Friday. The outgoing winner, Christophe Laporte, who abandoned the Primavera and withdrew from E3, will also be absent. The Visma-Lease a bike team will count on Olav Kooij, winner of two stages in Paris-Nice this year.
