Gent-Wevelgem start line quotes: Van Aert, Pidcock, Campenaerts, Pedersen

Gent Wevelgem 2022 84th Edition Ypres Wevelgem 2488 km 27032022 Wout Van Aert BEL Team Jumbo Visma photo Dion KerckhoffsCVSprintCyclingAgency2022
Van Aert speaks at the team presentation (Image credit: Dion KerckhoffsCVSprintCyclingAgency2022)

Cobbled Classics season rolls on with Gent-Wevelgem getting underway this morning as the peloton faces 249km of racing over the gravel Plugstreets, the North Sea winds, and cobbled climbs like the Kemmelberg en route to the finish this afternoon.

Star Classics riders such as Wout van Aert, Tom Pidcock, Yves Lampaert, Greg Van Avermaet and Mads Pedersen all lined up in the centre of Ypres ready to fight for the win over five or six hours of racing later.

Dani Ostanek
Senior News Writer

Dani Ostanek is Senior News Writer at Cyclingnews, joining in 2017 as a freelance contributor and later being hired full-time. Before joining the team, they had written for numerous major publications in the cycling world, including CyclingWeekly and Rouleur.

Dani has reported from the world's top races, including the Tour de France, Road World Championships, and the spring Classics. They have interviewed many of the sport's biggest stars, including Mathieu van der Poel, Demi Vollering, and Remco Evenepoel. Their favourite races are the Giro d'Italia, Strade Bianche and Paris-Roubaix.

Season highlights from the 2024 season include reporting from Paris-Roubaix –  'Unless I'm in an ambulance, I'm finishing this race' – Cyrus Monk, the last man home at Paris-Roubaix – and the Tour de France – 'Disbelief', gratitude, and family – Mark Cavendish celebrates a record-breaking Tour de France sprint win.