Dane Mads Pedersen wins 82nd Ghent-Wevelgem cycle race
The Dane Mads Pedersen (Trek Segafredo) has won this year’s Ghent-Wevelgem cycle race. He beat Florian Senechal (Deceuninck-QuickStep) and Matteo Trentin (CCC Team) in an exciting finish to win the race that was being riden for the 82nd time
The man that was 2019 World Cycling Champion emerged from an elite group containing big names such as the Fleming Wout Van Aert (Team Jumbo–Visma, photo below) and the Dutch cyclist Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin–Fenix) to claim victory in the Flemish classic race.
He launched his final sprint at 200m. Florian Sénéchal came in second with Matteo Trentin (CCC Team) taking third place.
It was Alberto Bettiol (EF Pro Cycling) that created what was to become the final race-winning move when he attacked from an elite group of nine riders. At first Pedersen didn’t make his move. Instead he responded just un time crossing through the gap between van der Poel and the group around Alberto Bettiol.
Two big favourites ahead of the race, Mathieu van der Poel and Wout Van Aert were pretty much out of the running. With 400 metres to go Van Aert stuck to the van der Poel’s wheel like glue, adamant that he wasn’t going to let him close the gap. This didn’t neither of them much good as they took 8th and 9th place respectively, coming in as the last two riders of the lead group.