Van der Poel and Pogacar, watch out: Mads Pedersen pulls off incredible solo in Gent–Wevelgem!

Early on, the breakaway was allowed to go clear. A group of nine riders managed to get up the road, with Rui Oliveira (UAE Team Emirates–XRG) being the most notable name. After a relatively calm start, nerves kicked in quickly in the peloton. Riders had spoken beforehand about potential echelons in the Moeren, and the crosswind specialists were ready to get into action.

The wind was indeed blowing hard, and that meant the race ignited early. Visma | Lease a Bike and Lidl–Trek were both well-positioned at the front. When the German-American team pushed the pace, the peloton was strung out and eventually split. Jasper Philipsen and Tim Merlier were among the biggest names caught out. That meant Alpecin-Deceuninck and Soudal Quick-Step had to do most of the work in the second group, while a third group further back included Arnaud De Lie.

The echelons came back together fairly quickly, bringing the race back to a nearly complete peloton. But it didn’t stay that way for long, as Visma | Lease a Bike ramped up the pace in an exposed section. The bunch split once again—and once again, Merlier and Philipsen missed the move. The peloton fractured into three, and then even four groups, with Arnaud De Lie stuck in the last one. The Belgian from Lotto eventually called it a day and recorded a DNF.

Before that, a regrouping took place, and Victor Campenaerts decided to bridge to the breakaway. He succeeded, giving Visma | Lease a Bike a rider up front. Due to the nervous pace, the breakaway’s lead had dropped to just a minute. Once the race entered the hill zone, Pedersen became very active. He pushed hard the first time up the Kemmelberg—and shortly after, he did it again.

This time, Philipsen managed to make the split, while Merlier struggled. Pedersen showed once again just how active he was when the riders hit the gravel section. Right as he accelerated, Philipsen suffered a puncture, and Olav Kooij crashed. The Dutchman remained on the ground and was forced to abandon. With Philipsen also sidelined, Pedersen pressed on solo. He caught the remnants of the early breakaway, but everyone knew what was coming.

On the second ascent of the Kemmelberg, the Dane launched yet another searing attack. He dropped the remaining breakaway riders, who, despite not being far behind, couldn’t close the gap. The chasing trio—Campenaerts, Arjen Livyns, and Marco Haller—watched as Pedersen didn’t wait, instead committing to a 56-kilometer solo. The peloton never let the gap grow beyond two minutes, but Pedersen was gone. He held strong all the way to the finish, while Merlier and Jonathan Milan (Lidl-Trek) battled it out for second and third in the sprint.