At Gent-Wevelgem, Lorena Wiebes wins third WorldTour race in eight days
Alison Jackson top Canadian in her return from injury
What a season Lorena Wiebes is having and what a week! On Sunday, Wiebes took her second Gent-Wevelgem in Flanders Fields in a row, earning her three WorldTour one-day races in eight days. She claimed the first Milan-San Remo Donne last Saturday and the Classic Brugge-De Panne on Thursday. Alison Jackson, back from a broken scaphoid, was top Canadian in 34th.
Last Season
Lorena Wiebes beat Elisa Balsamo in last year’s photo finish while Canada’s Maggie Coles-Lyster rounded out the top 10. Wiebes already had six victories this season.
The Course
The seven climbs of the 2025 edition were lumped together in the fourth-fifth of the 168.9-km route. The riders would face Baneberg (1 km of 6.8 percent) and cobbled Kemmelberg (the second time 700 metres of 11 percent) twice, and these hills would be the final two before 34.7 km of flat roads into Wevelgem.
The Canadian contingent was Alison Jackson, Magdeleine Vallieres, Olivia Baril, Kiara Lylyk, Florence Normand and Sarah van Dam.
For most of the race, a septet of fugitives beat on ahead of the peloton, but it was corralled before the first climb. There was plenty of cut and thrust on the first ascents of Scherpenberg, Monteberg, Baneberg and Kemmelberg, but all the action simply whittled down the peloton.
Just before the penultimate climb of Baneberg II, Lucinda Brand bolted with five others. Wiebes, Lotto Kopecky, Elisa Longo Borghini and Balsamo labored to bring them back before the final ascent of the Kemmelberg. Lidl-Trek drove towards its foot.
Kopecky attacked on the Kemelberg and the others scrambled to keep up. Wiebes and Longo Borghini were able to hang with the world champion. Could they stay away? They received additional firepower in the form of the Borghesi sisters and Chloé Dygert.
With 28 km remaining, the Balsamo-Longo Borghini chase hauled back the breakaway. Several unsuccessful moves tried to prevent a bunch sprint in Wevelgem. SD Worx-Protime yanked along the group with Wiebes in mind. Alison Jackson and Magdeleine Vallieres were still in the mix.
Kopecky pulled Wiebes under the red kite. Again, it was Balsamo coming second to Wiebes in Gent-Wevelgem.
2025 Gent-Wevelgem in Flanders Fields
1) Lorena Wiebes (The Netherlands/SD Worx-Protime) 4:11:19
2) Elisa Balsamo (Italy/Lidl-Trek) s.t.
3) Charlotte Kool (The Netherlands/Picnic-PostNL) s.t.
34) Alison Jackson (Canada/EF Education-Oatly) s.t.
56) Magdeleine Vallieres (Canada/EF Education-Oatly) s.t.