The 2025 edition of Gent-Wevelgem Women delivered its usual mid-race unpredictability, but the outcome was very familiar. Lorena Wiebes claimed her second straight win in Wevelgem, sprinting to the 100th victory of her career after a chaotic race shaped by early crosswinds, decisive climbs, and late control from SD Worx-Protime.
From the roll-out in Ypres, the race was animated from the start. Seven riders quickly formed the break of the day: Franziska Brauße, Katia Ragusa, Mia Griffin, Beatrice Caudera, Cleo Kiekens, Britt de Grave, and Maaike Boogaard. Their gap ballooned to over four minutes as the peloton allowed some breathing space before ramping up the pace approaching De Moeren.
That exposed stretch through the polders always has the potential to fracture the bunch, and the peloton didn’t disappoint. Crosswinds created early echelons and chaos. A crash in this section forced Nienke Veenhoven to abandon with a suspected collarbone injury after her bike ended up in a canal. Amber Pate also went down and sat out the remainder of the race.
Photo Credit: GettySpeed picks up before the Kemmelberg
As expected, the nervous racing didn’t ease before the hills. The breakaway was swept up before the climbs began, underlining the aggressive intent from the main teams. Lucinda Brand and Ellen van Dijk led Lidl-Trek’s push to harden the race early, and several short-lived moves went off the front as the pace lifted towards the hill zone.
On the first passage of the Kemmelberg, the front of the peloton was thinned but largely stayed together. The second ascent, from the Ossuaire side, delivered the biggest selection. It was Lotte Kopecky who lit it up at the bottom, dragging only a handful of riders with her: Wiebes, Elisa Longo Borghini, Chloé Dygert, Letizia Borghesi, and briefly Elise Chabbey, who was distanced again on the descent.
With Wiebes in the front group, there was little incentive for others to work. Longo Borghini was visibly sitting on, aware that she would have to beat Wiebes in a sprint if she contributed. That hesitation saw the move stall and the first chase – led by Lidl-Trek – brought it all back together with 27km to go.
Multiple riders attempted attacks in the final phase: Anneke Dijkstra, Floortje Mackaij, and others tried to force a late move, but none were allowed to build a gap of more than a few seconds. The bunch swelled in size as dropped riders rejoined, eventually numbering around 85 as the race approached the final kilometre.
Photo Credit: GettyControlled lead-out delivers Wiebes to the line
The final 12km saw SD Worx-Protime and Lidl-Trek controlling the front, with other teams jostling for position. Kopecky launched a perfectly timed and extraordinarily long lead-out from just over a kilometre to go, delivering Wiebes to the front under the flamme rouge.
From there, Wiebes did what she does best. Launching with 200 metres to go, she held off Elisa Balsamo and Charlotte Kool, neither of whom could find the space or speed to come around her. Despite a slightly chaotic run-in and some nerves about being boxed in, Wiebes made it look easy.
“I was a bit afraid also that they would come from the back in the last 300 metres,” Wiebes said. “That’s why I started a little bit early, but it was enough.”
Post-race reaction
Wiebes was reflective about the 100 career wins milestone, but insisted it wasn’t something she was focused on during the race. “In my mind, I was not really busy with this, it was more that the people around me were busy with this,” she said. “If I start a race, we want to win, also as a team, so I was thinking ‘if it’s not happening today, it will happen another moment in the season’ but it’s special at the end to win it.”
Runner-up Elisa Balsamo, finishing second to Wiebes for the second year running, acknowledged the Dutch sprinter’s superiority. “She is the strongest now,” Balsamo admitted. “But I am quite satisfied about my sprint. Of course, we are always racing to win, but a podium in an important race like this one is a good result, too.”
Photo Credit: Getty2025 Gent Wevelgem Women result
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Main photo credit: Getty
