Gent-Wevelgem Women is a race where the sprinters have fought it out for the top step right since the fourth edition of the event in 2017, and as much as many of the breakaway specialists hoped some course alterations would change that in 2022, it didn't.
Though 2023 could have a different story to tell. In contrast to the fine conditions last year defending champion Elisa Balsamo (Trek-Segafredo) may well be lining up to defend in wet and windy weather. What's more, it will be a field where the attackers would have been emboldened by the outcome of the last two races of the Women's World, Trofeo Alfredo Binda and Brugge-De Panne, both of which were taken by a solo victor.
The tough 162.5km race that marks the ninth round of the top-tier series could of course still hold in favour of the fast finishers – with a potential showdown between Lorena Wiebes (SD Worx), Balsamo and Charlotte Kool (Team DSM) – but there is a bound to be a fight to break that tradition along the road from Ypres.
Whichever way the balance swings, the tension between the rouleurs and fast finishers should lead to plenty of excitement before the race hits the line in Wevelgem. As we wait for the twelfth edition to unfold on Sunday March 26, Cyclingnews highlights five of the biggest talking points.
Learn more about the Women's WorldTour in Cyclingnews' definitive guide for 2023, and join Cyclingnews for live coverage of the 2023 Spring Classics. Also check in after each race for our full reports, results, galleries, news and features.
Kemmelberg Ossuaire, De Moeren and the wind
The two most decisive aspects of the Gent-Wevelgem route are the steeper Ossuaire side of the Kemmelberg and the De Moeren sector, famous for its peloton-splitting high winds.
These two elements were added to the race last year, and they heightened the event's unpredictability factor, making it an incredible spectacle for cycling fans watching from the side of the road or the comfort of their homes on a live broadcast.
They also play into each team's tactical game, as the race which has ended in a bunch sprint in every edition since 2017, now caters to fast finishers and breakaway riders alike.
The climbs on the course include the Scherpenberg, Baneberg, Monteberg and Kemmelberg (Belvedere), and then another round of the Scherpenberg, Baneberg, Monteberg and Kemmelberg (Ossuaire) before the run-in to Vanackerestraat, Wevelgem.
Wind could also play a significant role in the race's outcome this Sunday, and if Classic Brugge-De Panne was any indication, could shatter the field through the De Moeren. Given the forecast indicates that the weather will also be wet as well as windy, it seems an even more likely outcome that the weather could play a part in splitting up the peloton this year.
The rouleurs are on a roll
Last year's race came down to a bunch sprint won by Elisa Balsamo, but given the conditions and changes to the course in recent editions that we just talked of, watch for the breakaway specialists to play their cards along the hilly, wind-blown roads into Wevelgem.
The run of victories for the attackers that started with Trofeo Alfredo Binda last weekend and extended to Classic Brugge-De Panne on Thursday may well continue. The powerful teams of Trek-Segafredo and SD Worx may have top-notch options for a bunch sprint in defending champion Elisa Balsamo and Lorena Wiebes, but that is certainly not their only path to victory.
Shirin van Anrooij, who won Trofeo Alfredo Binda solo on Sunday, Brodie Chapman and Lucinda Brand – who was on the podium at the race – are all clear attacking threats for Trek Segafredo. Then for SD Worx, a break or small group finish could finally be Lotte Kopecky's chance to get the victory at the race where she has twice come second.
Team DSM too, clearly proved this week that their options for the race extend beyond the fast finish of Charlotte Kool. An attack by Pfeiffer Georgi secured the squad victory at the race, which usually falls to the sprinters.
Zaaf on start list with strength but uncertainty surrounds team
Zaaf Cycling Team emerged as a welcome addition to the ranks of UCI Women's Continental teams in 2023, providing a home for a number of riders who had been cast adrift at the last minute by the collapse of B&B Hotels.
The new combination of riders, too, quickly showed that they were a worthy addition to the women's peloton in the top tiers of racing, working their way into the top ten and even top five at races like the Santos Tour Down Under, Le Samyn des Dames and Vuelta CV Feminas with a variety of riders.
The invitations, too, have flowed to key races on the calendar, including the Tour of Flanders and Paris Roubaix, and it is also on the start list for Gent-Wevelgem on Sunday with a strong line-up, including Maggie Coles-Lyster, Audrey Cordon-Ragot and Danielle De Francesco. Still, as well as the team is going within the peloton, it is facing some travails outside it.
The UCI and Spanish Cycling Federation confirmed on Thursday that they had launched investigations into the Zaaf Cycling Team following allegations that the management had not paid salaries to some of its riders and staff. It is hard, at this point, to know what impact that will have on the team and its riders for the rest of the season, and firstly at Gent-Wevelgem.
Will the uncertainty weigh on the riders from Zaaf at the race, or will it inspire them to grasp the opportunities with even more vigour?
Wiebes' spring campaign to peak at Gent-Wevelgem
All roads lead to Gent-Wevelgem, at least they do for Lorena Wiebes, who has targeted the cobbled classic as the pinnacle of her spring campaign with new team SD Worx.
She's off to a great start with wins at UAE Tour and then securing a win at Ronde van Drenthe, Omloop van het Hageland, second places at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and Nokere Koerse, both behind her teammate Lotte Kopecky and third at Classic Brugge-De Panne.
Wiebes admitted that she was satisfied with her form but not with her sprint after Italian Champion Elisa Balsamo beat her to the line for second place at Classic-Brugge De Panne in a chase-group sprint. However, she also said she is still motivated to try again for the win at Gent-Wevelgem.
SD Worx was down two riders at Classic Brugge-De Panne due to illness, and so could only start with four riders, but Wiebes will have a full team to support her at Gent-Wevelgem.
Wins or not, Wiebes said that her experience with SD Worx this season has made her a better rider in terms of "toughness" and "daring," racing over climbs and into breakaways.
"I know I have enough left for the sprint. So I feel I have gained more volume. I think that is even more important than the victories I have already won."
A new generation of Women's WorldTour winners rising
The last two Women's WorldTour races have delivered victors that have not only upset the apple cart for the sprinters, but also the established inhabitants of the top step at the top-tier of road races. Both 21-year-old Trofeo Alfredo Binda victor Shirin van Anrooij (Trek-Segafredo) and Brugge–De Panne winner Georgi Pfeiffer (Team DSM) were taking their first Women's WorldTour victory ever. Of course it might be a long-shot to have three new top-tier winners in a row, but there are quite a few in the field that have potential to break through.
Megan Jastrab has to be high on that list after her performance at Brugge-De Panne, taking fourth while her teammate won, then there is fifth placed Shari Bossuyt (Canyon-SRAM) and perhaps Letizia Paternoster (Jayco-AlUla). The Italian has delivered a couple of top tens recently at Ronde van Drenthe and Nokere Koerse and has proven form at the event, having come third back in 2019. The Australian team also has a number of other options, including Ruby Roseman-Gannon and Alex Manly who could go well in a more attacking scenario.
Then there is Jumbo Visma's Anna Henderson who was also top-ten at Ronde van Drenthe and Nokere Koerse earlier this month. Another addition to the list is also New Zealand's Ally Wollaston who is back on the road with AG Insurance-Soudal QuickStep after a strong track stint. The 22-year-old also had a powerful start to the season, winning the New Zealand National Championships and taking out the Tour Down Under curtain raiser, the Schwalbe Classic, so watch out for her if it comes down to a reduced group sprint.
