Gent-Wevelgem 2022 was won by Biniam Girmay. After an entertaining race of almost 249 kilometers between Ypres and Wevelgem, the Eritrean of Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert was the first to finish. He was the fastest of a leading group of four, ahead of Christophe Laporte (Jumbo-Visma), Dries Van Gestel (TotalEnergies) and Jasper Stuyven (Trek-Segafredo).
In a fast first hour of racing it took a long time before the traditional leading group emerged. Seven riders broke away from the pack after thirty kilometers: Nikias Arndt (Team DSM), Lindsay De Vylder (Sport Vlaanderen-Baloise), Johan Jacobs (Movistar), Alexandr Konychev (BikeExchange-Jayco), Ludovic Robeet (Bingoal Pauwels Sauces WB) , Lars Saugstad (Uno-X) and Jelle Wallays (Cofidis). They quickly got a five-minute lead from Jumbo-Visma, which took control of the peloton.
photo: Color Vos
–
Alpecin-Fenix, BORA-hansgrohe and Quick-Step-Alpha Vinyl also reported themselves not much later. In the run-up to De Moeren it became a bit nervous, but the wind played no significant role and so there were no fans. More than 100 kilometers before the finish, in the run-up to the first climb of the day, it was chaos again. It caused a crash on a narrow track, involving several favorites.
The peloton broke into pieces and thus meant a first warning, but not much later everything came together again. A large peloton therefore started Kemmelberg for the first time, where Jhonatan Narváez was missing due to a fall while on the climb. Jumbo-Visma’s attentive racing was also noticeable. The team of leader Wout van Aert ensured that the peloton was already considerably thinned out at 80 kilometers from the finish.
Dangerous move
About twenty from that group, including Matej Mohoric, Dylan van Baarle, Greg Van Avermaet, Victor Campenaerts, Biniam Girmay, Nathan Van Hooydonck, Mike Teunissen, Kasper Asgreen, Arnaud Démare and Edward Theuns, managed to drive away. TotalEnergies and BikeExchange-Jayco had missed the mark and had to close a 30 second gap. In the zone of the three plugstreets, the unpaved strips in Hainaut, all groups pushed into each other. The early flight also came to an end, although Jacobs struggled for a while.
photo: Color Vos
–
There was bad news for Dylan Groenewegen, who had a flat tire on the gravel strip and dropped out of the front pack. After the last plug street, the balance could be made up: the large leading group had a 25 seconds lead on the peloton, where TotalEnergies chased and Jumbo-Visma controlled. It wasn’t fast enough at the front, so a regrouping followed 57 kilometers from the finish.
Arjen Livyns then attacked on the Monteberg, but was caught on the Kemmelberg. The favourites, led by Asgreen, Van Aert and Mads Pedersen, threw the bat in the henhouse and Fabio Jakobsen ran into problems. About fifteen riders broke away from the rest after the Kemmelberg, but there was no good cooperation there and so both groups came together again.
photo: Color Vos
–
Last time Kemmelberg
Last time Baneberg used Tiesj Benoot to shake the tree, but a compact group raced towards the final climb of the day: the Kemmelberg from the Ossuaire side. Van Aert pulled himself apart there and just after the top was joined by Laporte, Benoot, Asgreen, Pedersen, Mohoric, Van Baarle and Søren Kragh Andersen.
However, the differences were very small, so that a first chasing group with fast men such as Alexander Kristoff, Jasper Philipsen, Démare and Girmay joined. A second chasing group, including Tim Merlier, had more trouble making the crossing in the flat final towards Wevelgem, but they succeeded. In the meantime, Laporte, Stuyven, Girmay and Dries Van Gestel had pulled away from the front. Rasmus Tiller and Greg Van Avermaet counterattacked, but came no closer and dropped back into the pack that followed 25 seconds later.
Sprint with four
It was in pursuit of Groupama-FDJ, Alpecin-Fenix and also Movistar, but the four leaders ran out. Laporte, Stuyven, Girmay and Van Gestel entered the last fifteen kilometers with 30 seconds and extended that lead to 40 seconds. This allowed the front runners to slowly prepare for the battle for victory, although some poker was played in the last four kilometers. As a result, the difference dropped to less than 20 seconds.
Kragh Andersen counterattacked under the arc of the last two kilometers, but he came too late. Laporte, Girmay, Stuyven and Van Gestel sprinted for the win. The Frenchman was forced into the lead, but it was Girmay who started the sprint first. The 21-year-old African managed to keep up his effort and stay ahead of Laporte and Stuyven. A historic win for Girmay.
–
