Greg Van Avermaet's Ghent-Wevelgem Strava file shows his devastating speed
See what it took to win the 2017 edition of Ghent-Wevelgem with Greg Van Avermaet's Strava stats


Ghent-Wevelgem winner Greg Van Avermaet has posted his victorious Sunday ride on Strava – and his stats make for impressive viewing.
Van Avermaet (BMC Racing) won the race after making a decisive move on the final ascent of the Kemmelberg climb. He then led the pace-setting in the final 30km, eventually forming a two-man break with fellow Belgian Jens Keukeleire (Orica-Scott).
In the final sprint to the line, Van Avermaet just pipped his companion to take the win, and his third 2017 cobbled classics victory after previously claiming Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and E3 Harelbeke.
>>> Michal Kwiatkowski’s Strava stats show the incredible power it takes to win Milan-San Remo
Van Avermaet's Strava file shows that he completed the race distance of 249.7 kilometres at an average speed of 43.8kmh (27.2mph).
Although the second half of the route is peppered with hills, there aren't any huge descents on which to build up speed, yet Van Avermaet still managed to achieve a maximum speed of 88.6kmh (54.7mph).
Van Avermaet managed to claim a few KoMs along the way - including the main Kemmelberg segment, which he now shares with Frenchman Arnaud Démare (FDJ). The pair tackled the cobbled 1.5km, average 6 per cent gradient climb at 24.8kmh (15.4mph).
Get The Leadout Newsletter
The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!
>>> Iconic places: The Kemmelberg
Interestingly, the Strava times for the final segments of the race – 'sprint Gent-Wevelgem' and 'Sprint Wevelgem' – show that no rider in the 2017 race was near the top 10 fastest times. That probably had something to do with the win being contested from an escape rather than a full-on bunch sprint.
The three new gravel road 'plugstreet' sectors are also on Strava as segments, with Van Avermaet claiming second spot behind Edward Theuns (Trek-Segafredo) in the first sector of 1.9km. Scott Thwaites (Dimension Data) and Ryan Mullen (Cannondale-Drapac)/Mark McNally (Wanty-Groupe Gobert) hold the KoM titles for the other two.
No power or heart rate information has been uploaded with the basic GPS info from Van Avermaet's SRM PC8 head unit, so we can't see his wattage output. Nevertheless, we can get an insight into what it takes to win a prestigious classic.
The cobbled classics continue this Sunday with the Tour of Flanders.
Thank you for reading 20 articles this month* Join now for unlimited access
Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
*Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription
Join now for unlimited access
Try first month for just £1 / $1 / €1

Nigel Wynn worked as associate editor on CyclingWeekly.com, he worked almost single-handedly on the Cycling Weekly website in its early days. His passion for cycling, his writing and his creativity, as well as his hard work and dedication, were the original driving force behind the website’s success. Without him, CyclingWeekly.com would certainly not exist on the size and scale that it enjoys today. Nigel sadly passed away, following a brave battle with a cancer-related illness, in 2018. He was a highly valued colleague, and more importantly, an exceptional person to work with - his presence is sorely missed.
-
British Paralympian found alive and safe after missing person report
Sam Ruddock hadn't been heard from in 11 days, but has now been located
By Tom Davidson
-
Tadej Pogačar was dominant at Liège-Bastogne-Liège, but I hope for a competitive Tour de France
The Slovenian has finished on the podium of the last six Monuments, the first man to do so - when will he stop dominating?
By Tom Thewlis
-
Tadej Pogačar bags handful of Strava KOMs in Tour of Flanders onslaught
Slovenian tops the leaderboards on several verified segments but does not get flagged for efforts
By Tom Thewlis
-
I rode every cobbled street in my city and punctured twice, but I still can't resist the rumble of the stones
Forget smooth tarmac, it's cobble season
By Tom Davidson
-
I'm hooked on Strava and I don't care who knows about it
People are ditching their social media apps, but I could never let go of the oasis that is Strava
By Tom Davidson
-
Strava clamps down on vehicle cheats in new update
App makes improvements to leaderboard monitoring, Athlete Intelligence feedback, and Flyover maps
By Tom Davidson
-
Cyclist breaks Strava record on 'world's tallest mountain' by almost an hour
Mountain biker Sparky Moir Sears smashes QOM on Mauna Kea volcano
By Tom Davidson
-
Tadej Pogačar smashes the Strava KOM on the Coll de Rates
World Champion sets a time of 12:21 on the segment, beating Peter Øxenberg Hansen by 17 seconds
By Tom Thewlis
-
Last-minute gifts cyclists will love: gift subscriptions to Strava, Ride with GPS and more are just a click away
From indoor training to Tour de France streaming and magazines, these gifts will keep your cyclist pedalling happily in 2025
By Anne-Marije Rook
-
Forget distance covered, these are the key stats to note in your Strava Year in Sport
We asked a coach how to best analyse our end of year Strava data
By Tom Davidson