Gent Wevelgem Sportive
From Sportive Breaks
- Date Sat 28th March 2020
- Location Wevelgem, Belgium
- Price £299.00
- Races 1 race
Event summary
Organiser's Description
Our packages include return airport transfers, half board accommodation, guided warm up ride & sportive entry. 2-4 night trips available.
Gent Wevelgem is the start of Flanders Classics week and one of the best sportives of the year. The race changes slightly each year but is defined by the middle section, packed with tough climbs, some off-road riding on the Plugstreets and most of all, from the daylong battle with strong headwinds. The aim of the game is to find a good group and share the workload, taking turns on the front and spending most of the time out of the wind. Getting dropped or trying a kamikaze attack can come back to haunt you quickly.
3 Day Itinerary
Friday 27th March
Arrive early in Kortrijk. After lunch we set off for a 50km warm up ride taking in parts of the E3 Harelbeke route, including one climb and one cobbled sector. We then see the finish of the E3 before riding home.
Saturday 28th March
The sportive has a rolling start, you can choose to start any time between 7am and 10am depending on route.
Sunday 29th March
Pro race day. Lots of options for this, the start is in Ypres this year where there is a lively atmosphere. Join our race day package seeing the race at the start, finish and 3 times on the route with beers and picnic lunch.
Route Overview
One of our favourite sportives of the year and an event that experienced sportive riders love to come back to every year. The event is much smaller than the Tour of Flanders and most of the peloton are locals. The route is mostly flat over exposed lowlands of Western Flanders. The route goes past many WW1 battlefields & cemeteries with some sections on the unpaved Plugstreets close to the trenches. The main climb in the race is the very steep Kemmelberg, but by far the biggest challenge is the fight against headwinds.
There are typically 4 routes - the shortest skips all the climbs so can be a good sportive for the less experienced rider. All the others follow the pattern of fighting the wind, then hitting the climbs, then the Plugstreets and home.
215km: Gent Wevelgem is all about surviving the wind but this route is also slightly rolling. The ride heads out from Wevelgem quickly into wide open land, exposed to the winds from the start. The climbs in the middle of the route are fairly gentle, with a couple of exceptions, and the cobbles are well worn and smooth. The extra kms from the medium route are flat but very exposed. Elevation gain: 1221m.
136km: This route takes in all of the highlights of the long route - ride through Ypres, over the Kemmelberg and plenty of time in the wind to get the real Gent Wevelgem experience. The main difference between this and the short route is the amount of climbs in the middle, a relatively flat route but which gets very lumpy in the middle with several tough climbs. Elevation gain: 1036m.
91km: A short route but taking in a lot of the best highlights of the race. This option starts on the flat farm tracks fighting headwinds before Ypres. From there, you head to the mighty Kemmelberg, then onto the unpaved roads of the Plugstreets before a quick sprint to the finish in Wevelgem. Elevation gain: 507m.
60km: A short but fun ride giving a good feel for the race. You do the first 30km of the 91km route to Ypres, and then head down to the border before catching the quick river path back to Wevelgem. Elevation gain: 226m.
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