5 Gent-Wevelgem conclusions 🇧🇪
Mighty Mads will need to change his approach to Flanders, Wiebes' milestone, Visma's woes and transfers don't lead to a shift in power
Hi Subscribers,
We saw two contrasting races on Sunday in Gent-Wevelgem, with Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek) blowing the opposition away with a 56km solo move and Lorena Wiebes taking her 100th career win at the age of just 26.
In this story, we will analyse how Pedersen needs to alter his approach for Flanders, where it has gone so wrong for Visma-LAB, Wiebes’ incredible milestone, how transfers within the women’s peloton have not changed the complexion of many one-day races, and Elisa Longo Borghini’s isolation at a crucial point in the women’s race.
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Also, today’s Founding Member sound files are in the WhatsApp group. They include:
Mads Pedersen post-race
Tom Pidcock’s coach on the Classics, Giro, transfers
Soudal Quick-Step’s boss on rider transfers
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I’ll be back later on today with an exclusive interview.
Daniel 🫶
Mighty Mads will need a different tactic to win Flanders 🎯
It was highly impressive and once again demonstrated the absolute class he possesses, but Mads Pedersen’s record-equalling win in Gent-Wevelgem didn’t reveal anything we didn’t already know about the Dane.
Yes, it was his 50th career victory and his longest solo win ever, but I’d argue that his Worlds win in 2019 and even his triumph over Mathieu van der Poel in Gent-Wevelgem twelve months ago were both more iconic and dramatic in fashion.
With Van der Poel resting and Tadej Pogačar still preparing, Pedersen dominated the field on Sunday through a combination of tactical awareness, aggression, and expert timing. It was immaculate.
But that won’t be enough to win the Tour of Flanders or Paris-Roubaix. In a straight fight against Van der Poel, as we saw on the Kwaremont in E3 Saxo Classic, the 29-year-old doesn’t have the numbers to match his Dutch rival. Pogačar, given what he did in Flanders a couple of years ago, could be an even more dangerous opponent.
“Okay, in E3, he didn’t manage to follow Mathieu on the Kwaremont, but he wasn’t that far off, and he’s not missing a lot to those guys. I think that our strength is in the team,” the Dane’s teammate Toms Skujiņš told me at the finish.
The Latvian hit the nail on the head. To win a Monument this season, Pedersen must utilise and maximise every watt and pedal stroke from his teammates. Jasper Stuyven, Jonathan Milan, and Skujiņš are all top-ten riders for Flanders and Roubaix, but their purest strength comes through their collective power. Lidl-Trek has a stronger team than UAE Team Emirates-XRG and Alpecin, but to chip away at Van der Poel and Pogačar, they need to take big swings early and isolate their two principal rivals before Pedersen can play any of his cards.
“What did I think when I didn’t see anyone on my wheel anymore with 56 kilometres to go? Oh shit, now I’ve fucked it up,” Pedersen said at the press conference after his victory.
The Dane has previously admitted to making tactical errors in Flanders last year. In Gent-Wevelgem, he had a wider margin for error because he was the strongest, Olav Kooij crashed, and Jasper Philipsen had a flat.
In order to stand a chance next weekend, he needs to be at his absolute best and use his team to turn the tables.
Lorena Wiebes is the best sprinter of all time 🐐
As for Lorena Wiebes, she was already the world’s best sprinter before winning number 100 in her career, but the milestone is still hugely significant. Classics, bunch sprints, she can win with breathless ease, but what’s striking is her consistency and the fact that so many of her victories are at the WorldTour level. For example, 6/7 this season, 13/22 in 2024, and 9/12 in a relative ‘down year’ in 2023.