Gent-Wevelgem 2020 – Preview

WEVELGEM BELGIUM MARCH 31 Zdenek Stybar of Czech Republic and Team DeceuninckQuickStep Tiesj Benoot of Belgium and Team Lotto Soudal Greg Van Avermaet of Belgium and CCC Team Kemmelberg Ossuaire Cobblestones Fans Public during the 81st GentWevelgem In Flanders Fields 2019 a 2515km race from Deinze to Wevelgem Flandersclassics on March 31 2019 in Wevelgem Belgium Photo by Tim de WaeleGetty Images
The Kemmelberg, Gent-Wevelgem's main obstacle (Image credit: Getty Images Sport)

Reigning champion Alexander Kristoff heads a very strong line-up of sprinters and Classics specialists at Gent-Wevelgem in Flanders Fields for the 82nd running of the Belgian race, which, for the first time since its inaugural edition in 1934, will be taking place in the autumn rather than the spring.

A field packed with big names also includes Mathieu van der Poel, who was fourth last year, Tour de France points jersey winner Sam Bennett, 2019 world champion Mads Pedersen and double Tour stage-winner Wout van Aert.

Peter Cossins has written about professional cycling since 1993 and is a contributing editor to Procycling. He is the author of The Monuments: The Grit and the Glory of Cycling's Greatest One-Day Races (Bloomsbury, March 2014) and has translated Christophe Bassons' autobiography, A Clean Break (Bloomsbury, July 2014). 

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