The Belgian cycling Classics continued with Gent-Wevelgem 2025. The legendary race would be contested on a 250.3-kilometer route from Ypres to Wevelgem and featured several cobbled sections.

Many sprinters and classics specialists had signed up for this year’s edition of the race. The start list included fan favorites and race favorites such as Mads Pedersen (Team Lidl-Trek), Jonathan Milan (Lidl-Trek), Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck), Tim Mierlier (Soudal-QuickStep), Biniam Girmay (Intermarche-Wanty), Tobias Foss (Ineos-Grenadiers), Vincenzo Albanese (EF Education-EasyPost), Olav Kooij (Team Visma-Lease a Bike), Matteo Jorgenson (Team Visma-Lease a Bike), Arnaud Demare (Arkea B & B Hotels), Michael Matthews (Jayco-Alula), and Fred Wright and Matej Mohoric of Team Bahrain-Victorious.

The weather conditions were cloudy and windy, with cool temperatures around twelve degrees Celsius.

Nine riders courageously formed the first breakaway group of the race. The nine riders, who had fought their way to an advantage of 03:30 minutes after fifty kilometers of racing, were Max Walker (EF Education-EasyPost), Jasha Sutterlin (Jayco-Alula), Rui Oliveira (UAE Team Emirates), Sam Maisonobe (Cofidis), Emils Liepins (Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team), Victor Vercouillie (Team Flanders), Samuel Leroux (Team TotalEnergies), Alexys Brunel (Team TotalEnergies), and Team Tudor Pro Cycling’s Marco Haller.

After 85 kilometers of racing, the nine-man front group had an advantage of approximately four minutes over the chasing peloton.

The windy racing conditions caused a split in the main peloton when approximately 150 kilometers remained of Gent-Wevelgem 2025. Lidl-Trek riders were leading the front part of the peloton, while riders from Ineos-Grenadiers were heading echelon group two. A third peloton group was chasing further back.

The riders were approaching the cobbles of Beauvoordestraat and Veurnestraat. 

Additional splits were occurring in the peloton groups as the riders reached the midway point in the race. 

The nine-man front group were 01:15 minutes ahead of peloton group 1 when 114 kilometers remained as the splits in the peloton and the fast racing had caused their lead to diminish. 

Riders from Team Visma-Lease a Bike were leading the first peloton group. This group featured several favorites for the race victory, but riders such as Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck) and Tim Merlier (Soudal-QuickStep) were not present. The speed was very fast, and the riders were fighting for positions in the windy racing conditions and before the steep hills. Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek), Yves Lampaert (Soudal-QuickStep), and Victor Campenaerts (Team Visma-Lease a Bike) were active at the front of the first peloton group.

Johan Jacobs (Groupama-FDJ) and Campenaerts formed a chase duo, which was trying to bridge the gap to the nine frontmen. 

A crash occurred in the first peloton group 98 kilometers from the finish. It brought down approximately eight riders, including Matteo Trentin, Juan Sebastian Molano, and Tosh van der Sande.

Campenaerts made it to the front nine and moved to the front to contribute. 

Riders were climbing the Monteberg with 89 kilometers remaining. The riders in the breakaway group were cooperating well. The addition of Campenaerts had been of great value to the group.

Riders were now climbing the cobbled Kemmelberg. Mads Pedersen attacked from the front of the main peloton. He wanted a fast pace on the cobbles, hoping to shake as many of his competitors as possible. Jasper Philipsen and other riders joined him, but many riders had been dropped.

Vercouillie had been dropped from the front breakaway group and was caught by peloton group 1. The windy conditions were causing splits on the open roads of Belgium.

Mads Pedersen attacked from the main peloton on the cobbles. The Lidl-Trek rider looked strong. Jasper Philipson responded but suffered a flat tire. Olav Kooij (Visma-Lease a Bike) crashed and appeared to have sustained a clavicle fracture.

Seventy kilometers remained of the exciting Gent-Wevelgem classic.

Mads Pedersen was now chasing the front group together with Arjen Livyns of Team Lotto. There was a significant gap between the duo and the chasers.

Matteo Jorgenson, John Degenkolb and other riders accelerated in the main peloton group in an effort to reduce the advantage created by Pedersen and Livyns.

Oliveira, Campenaerts, Walker, Brunel, and Haller remained part of the first breakaway group. Mads Pedersen was chasing fifteen seconds behind together with Maisonobe, Livyns, and Liepins.

The Pedersen group caught the front group, and the nine men pressed on in a quest for success on the cobbled roads of Belgium. The first peloton group was now one minute behind the front group, where Pedersen was the favorite. Pedersen has won Gent-Wevelgem on two previous occasions. 58 kilometers were left of the race.

Victor Campenaerts had been conserving energy in the front group and left much of the hard work to Pedersen. Campenaerts launched a surprise attack on the Kemmelberg Belvedere. But Pedersen did not appreciate the actions of Campenaerts. The Great Dane launched a counterattack and left Campenaerts and other riders behind on the cobbles. 

Pedersen was the first man to reach the summit of the Kemmelberg, but Campenaerts, Livyns, and Haller were chasing a few seconds behind him. Meanwhile, Matteo Jorgenson was leading a peloton group further back. Fifty-three kilometers remained.

Mads Pedersen was still engaged in his brave solo effort at the front of the race when 47 kilometers remained. He had a thirty second advantage over a Campenaerts-Livyns-Haller trio, while the peloton was 01:30 minutes behind him.

Baneberg was the next hill on the racing horizon.

Pedersen continued to increase his advantage as he was approaching the Kemmelberg Ossuaire (the shortest, but steepest). He now had a lead of more than a minute over the chasing trio, while the first peloton group was 01:43 minutes behind with 38 kilometers left of the classic race. Valentin Madouas attempted an attack from the main peloton together with Matteo Jorgenson.

Pedersen was now conquering the cobbles of Kemmelberg while showing no weakness. Campenaerts was next to reach the climb together with Livyns and Haller. Attacks were launched from the main peloton when it reached the climb.

The Campenaerts group was caught approximately twenty-five kilometers from the finish line. It was now the combined peloton group versus the Great Dane in his one-man show at the front of the race. The riders in the peloton were pushing hard to reduce the advantage of Pedersen, but Pedersen was still 01:30 minutes ahead with fifteen kilometers left of the race he had won on two previous occasions. 

Pedersen’s lead had been reduced to 01:20 minutes when just ten kilometers of racing remained before the riders would reach the finish line. Things were status quo five kilometers later. No other rider appeared able to make the leap to the man in front.

Denmark’s Mads Pedersen crossed the finish line in solo fashion as winner of Gent-Wevelgem 2025 for Team Lidl-Trek. Tim Merlier won the peloton sprint to finish second for Soudal-QuickStep, while Pedersen’s teammate Jonathan Milan finished third in the race.

“It’s crazy. I never expected to be able to do something like this. I thought ok let’s try to open the race, and this could have ended in s**t also, and at some point you reach a point of no return,” race winner Mads Pedersen told Roadcycling.com. 

“I’ve never been better than now, and my recent performances confirm this. I was still fighting with just one kilometer left and I know from experience how fast the race is in the final five kilometers, so I never felt safe. It gives us confidence before Sunday’s Roonde van Vlaanderen,” Pedersen explained.

Stay tuned to Roadcycling.com for complete coverage from the 2025 professional cycling season.