Two days following winning Wout van Aert at the GP-E3 in Harelbeke, the peloton still has an appointment in the north of our country. On a flatter course than the other Flanders events, the route around Wevelgem is more appealing to road sprinters. Sagan, Degenkolb, Kristoff, Pedersen or Girmay last season, the list of winners of recent years speaks for itself.
Marc Cavendish had to give up before the race, he is unwell. Sep Vanmarcke, winner in 2010 and 2016, will take the start with a reduced team. Two of his teammates, the Canadian Hugo Houle and the German Rick Zabel are indeed packages, communicated Israel-Premier Tech in the morning.
The riders will start from Ypres at 10:50 a.m. before covering 261 kilometers towards Wevelgem. The nine climbs listed will be condensed in the second part of the route. The summit of Mount Kemmel, the last climb of the day, is located 34 kilometers from the finish. Enough to avoid a massive sprint? Answer around 5 p.m.
