Ghent-Wevelgem 2021 start list
List of riders taking part in the 2021 Ghent-Wevelgem on Sunday, March 28
The cobbled Classics continue with Ghent-Wevelgem being the next race that goes over the rough stuff in Belgium in 2021 with the race taking place on Sunday (March 28).
Given the relatively flat finish to the race, teams often allocate leadership to two riders: a Classics specialist and a sprinter. The Classics riders are there if the race splits up due to cobbles, climbs or crosswinds, and the sprinters are present to contest a mass finish should the peloton stay together.
The men's field includes defending champion, Mads Pedersen (Trek-Segafredo) who will be hoping to become the first Dane to win the race twice.
One of the biggest threats to the former world champion is the current Dutch champion, Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Fenix), who is coming to the race off the back of some amazing performances at Strade Bianche and Tirreno-Adriatico, as well as a top ten at Milan-Sanremo.
Arguably the main favourite is the 2020 Milan-Sanremo winner and multiple Tour de France stage winner, Wout van Aert (Jumbo-Visma), who returns to action to face Van der Poel, in 2020 the two rivals cancelled each other out by following each other's wheel and letting the others go ahead.
Other big-name sprinters in the start line include Sam Bennett (Deceuninck - Quick-Step), Pascal Ackermann (Bora-Hansgrohe), Giacomo Nizzolo (Qhubeka-Assos) and Tim Merlier (Alpecin-Fenix).
In the women's race there is a focus on the sprinters with defending champion Jolien D'Hoore (SD Worx) ready to defend her title against the likes of Kirsten Wild (Ceratizit-WNT), Marta Bastianelli (Alé-BTC-Ljubljana), Lorena Wiebes (Team DSM), Emma Norsgaard (Movistar) and Lotte Kopecky (Liv Racing) are ready for a dash to the line.
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But if the race breaks up on the cobbles then other big names are, Lizzie Deignan (Trek-Segafredo) who has a very strong team around her with Elisa Longo-Borghini, Ellen van Dijk and Amalie Dideriksen all in the team.
Grace Brown (BikeExchange) will be confident coming into this race with a very strong display at Nokere Koerse where she finished behind former European champion, Amy Pieters (SD Worx).
One name that will be worth watching out for is former cyclo-cross world champion, Ceylin Alvarado who will be riding for the Ciclismo Mundial team alongside fellow CX star Sanne Cant.
Other notable names are Christine Majerus (SD Worx), Lisa Brennauer (Ceratizit-WNT), Liane Lippert (Team DSM), Marlen Reusser (Alé-BTC-Ljubljana), Alice and Hannah Barnes (Canyon-SRAM), Marianne Vos (Jumbo-Visma) and Elisa Balsamo (Valcar-Travel & Service).
Here are the men's and women's start lists...
Ghent-Wevelgem 2021 men's start list
Trek-Segafredo
MOSCHETTI Matteo
PEDERSEN Mads
STUYVEN Jasper
THEUNS Edward
KIRSCH Alex
SIMMONS Quinna
MULLEN Ryan
UAE Team Emirates
GAVIRIA Fernando
BYSTRØM Sven Erik
KRISTOFF Alexander
BJERG Mikkel
TRENTIN Matteo
OLIVEIRA Ivo
RICHEZE Max
Bora-Hansgrohe
ACKERMANN Pascal
OSS Daniel
BURGHARDT Marcus
PÖSTLBERGER Lukas
SCHWARZMANN Michael
SELIG Rüdiger
Deceuninck - Quick-Step
BENNETT Sam
LAMPAERT Yves
SÉNÉCHAL Florian
BALLERINI Davide
STEELS Stijn
ŠTYBAR Zdenek
VAN LERBERGHE Bert
Lotto-Soudal
DEGENKOLB John
GILBERT Philippe
FRISON Frederick
VERMEERSCH Florian
OLDANI Stefano
VAN DER SANDE Tosh
DE BUYST Jasper
AG2R Citroën Team
NAESEN Oliver
VAN AVERMAET Greg
SARREAU Marc
DEWULF Stan
SCHÄR Michael
VAN HOUCKE Gijs
TOUZÉ Damien
Astana-Premier Tech
FEDOROV Yevgeniy
MARTINELLI Davide
ZAKHAROV Artyom
GIDICH Yevgeniy
GRUZDEV Dmitriy
HOULE Hugo
PERRY Benjamin
Bahrain Victorious
SIEBERG Marcel
COLBRELLI Sonny
BAUHAUS Phil
FENG Chun Kai
HAUSSLER Heinrich
HALLER Marco
MILAN Jonathan
Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert Matériaux
PASQUALON Andrea
DE GENDT Aimé
VLIEGEN Loïc
VAN POPPEL Danny
VAN POPPEL Boy
KREDER Wesley
VANSPEYBROUCK Pieter
EF Education-Nippo
BETTIOL Alberto
KEUKELEIRE Jens
LANGEVELD Sebastian
BISSEGGER Stefan
VAN DEN BERG Julius
Groupama-FDJ
GENIETS Kevin
KÜNG Stefan
DÉMARE Arnaud
LE GAC Olivier
LIENHARD Fabian
LUDVIGSSON Tobias
SINKELDAM Ramon
Team BikeExchange
MEZGEC Luka
GROVES Kaden
DURBRIDGE Luke
KONYCHEV Alexander
BAUER Jack
JANSEN Amund Grøndahl
STANNARD Robert
Movistar Team
CULLAIGH Gabriel
GARCÍA CORTINA Iván
MAS Lluís
HOLLMANN Juri
MORA Sebastián
ERVITI Imanol
JACOBS Johan
Team Qhubeka-Assos
NIZZOLO Giacomo
CLAEYS Dimitri
GOGL Michael
STOKBRO Andreas
WIŚNIOWSKI Łukasz
WALSCHEID Max
VINJEBO Emil
Team Jumbo-Visma
VAN AERT Wout
AFFINI Edorado
VAN EMDEN Jos
WYNANTS Maarten
EENKHOORN Pascal
ROOSEN Timo
VAN HOOYDONCK Nathan
Israel Start-Up Nation
VANMARKE Sep
GREIPEL André
WÜRTZ SCHMIDT Mads
VAN ASBROECK Tom
RENARD Alexis
ZABEL Rick
VAHTRA Norman
Ineos Grenadiers
VAN BAARLE Dylan
BASSO Leonardo
DOULL Owain
GOŁAŚ Michał
NARVÁEZ Jhonatan
Team DSM
DENZ Nico
BOL Cees
EEKHOFF Nils
SÜTTERLIN Jasha
KRAGH ANDERSEN Søren
ARNDT Nikias
PEDERSEN Casper
Alpecin-Fenix
VAN DER POEL Mathieu
DE BONDT Dries
VERMEERSCH Gianni
MERLIER Tim
RICKAERT Jonas
PHILIPSEN Jasper
THWAITES Scott
Sport Vlaanderen-Baloise
VAN DEN BOSSCHE Fabio
VAN ROOY Kenneth
GHYS Robbe
WARLOP Jordi
BEULLENS Cédric
MARIT Arne
WILLEMS Thimo
Bingoal-Wallonie Bruxelles
DUPONT Timothy
WIRTGEN Tom
PAASSCHENS Mathijs
REX Laurenz
ROBEET Ludovic
SUTER Joel
VALLÉE Boris
Cofidis, Solutions Crédits
VIVIANI Elia
CONSONNI Simone
ALLEGAERT Piet
LAPORTE Christophe
WALLAYS Jelle
SABATINI Fabio
DRUCKER Jempy
Total Direct Energie
TERPSTRA Niki
VAN GESTEL Dries
LAWLESS Chris
BOASSON HAGEN Edvald
PETIT Adrien
SOUPE Geoffrey
TURGIS Anthony
B&B Hotels-Vital Concept p/b KTM
DEBUSSCHERE Jens
VAN GENECHTEN Jonas
BACKAERT Frederick
DE BACKER Bert
LECROQ Jérémy
COQUARD Bryan
BARTHE Cyril
Ghent-Wevelgem 2021 women's start list
SD Worx
D'HOORE Jolien
CECCHINI Elena
MAJERUS Christine
PIETERS Amy
FOURNIER Roxane
UNEKEN Lonneke
Ceratizit-WNT Pro Cycling
WILD Kirsten
BRENNAUER Lisa
LETH Julie
RIJKES Sarah
CONFALONIERI Maria Giulia
LACH Julie
Lotto Soudal Ladies
BRAAM Danique
CASTRIQUE Alana
PARKINSON Abby-Mae
PLICHTA Anna
NILSSON Hanna
VANDENBULKE Jesse
Plantur-Pura
ALVARADO Ceylin
CANT Sanne
BAKKER Manon
VAN ALPHEN Laura
KASTELIJN Yara
SÜßEMILICH Laura
A.R. Monex Women's Pro Cycling Team
SIERRA Arlenis
NOVOLODSKAIA Maria
SALAZAR Lizbeth Yareli
TEOLIS Jade
RAGUSA Katia
SPEROTTO Maria Vittoria
BTC City Ljubljana
BASTIANELLI Marta
REUSSER Marlen
BUJAK Eugenia
TREVISI Anna
GUDERZO Tatiana
CHURSINA Anastasiia
Canyon-SRAM Racing
BARNES Hannah
BARNES Alice
AMIALIUSIK Alena
CHABBEY Elise
KLEIN Lisa
NIEWIADOMA Kasia
Liv Racing
KOPECKY Lotte
KOREVAAR Jeanne
PALADIN Soraya
BERTIZZOLO Sofia
JACKSON Alison
Team Jumbo-Visma Women
VOS Marianne
HENDERSON Anna
KASPER Romy
MATHIESEN Pernille
VAN DER BURG Nancy
MARKUS Riejanne
FDJ Nouvelle Aquitaine Futuroscope
KITCHEN Lauren
FAHLIN Emilia
BORGLI Stine
CAVALLI Marta
DUVAL Eugénie
GROSSETÊTE Maëlle
Drops-Le Col s/b Tempur
CHRISTMAS Dani
PENTON Sara
VAN 'T GELOOF Marjolein
MARTINS Maria
MOBERG Emilie
VAN DER DUIN Maike
Team BikeExchange
BROWN Grace
CAMPBELL Teniel
ROBERTS Jessica
ALLEN Jessica
FIDANZA Arianna
ROY Sarah
Movistar Team
NORSGAARD Emma
GUTIÉRREZ Sheyla
GONZÁLEZ Alicia
BIANNIC Aude
ERIĆ Jelena
GUARISCHI Barbara
Parkhotel Valkenburg
BREDEWOLD Mischa
BUYSMAN Nina
RAAIJMAKERS Marit
GERRITSE Femke
NOOIJEN Lieke
VAN DER HULST Amber
Team DSM
WIEBES Lorena
MACKAIJ Floortje
KIRSCHMANN Leah
LIPPERT Liane
ANDERSEN Susanne
KOCH Franziska
Trek-Segafredo
VAN DIJK Ellen
DEIGNAN Lizzie
LONGO-BORGHINI Elisa
DIDERIKSEN Amalie
WINDER Ruth
WORRACK Trixi
Valcar-Travel & Service
BALSAMO Elisa
CONSONNI Chiara
PIRRONE Elena
SANGUINETI Ilaria
GUAZZINI Vittoria
PERSICO Silvia
NXTG Racing
BORGSTRÖM Julia
AMMERLAAN Rozemarijn
KNAVEN Britt
BOSSUYT Shari
HOOLWERF Cathalijne
DE ZOETE Mylene
Bingoal Casino-Chevalmeire Cycling Team
DE JONG Thalita
RATTO Rossella
DE JONG Demi
BEX Nathalie
JONGERIUS Claudia
DRUYTS Lenny
Doltcini-Van Eyck Sport
SCHWEINBERGER Kathrin
SCHWEINBERGER Christina
STEIGENGA Nicole
BERTEAU Victoire
KULYNCH Olha
VAN VELZEN Bryony
Multum Accountants-LSK Ladies Cycling Team
DEFOUR Lara
DELBAERE Fien
VAN HOUTUM Céline
WATERREUS Kylie
BADERGRUBER Anna
DUYCK Ann-Sophie
Team Tibco-Silicon Valley Bank
STEPHENS Lauren
FAULKNER Kristen
DIXON Leah
PEÑUELA Diana
ERATH Tanja
BUURMAN Eva
Team Coop-Hitec Products
ANDERSON Maroline
OLSEN Ann Helen
GASKJENN Ingvild
GJØS Martine
KRÖGER Mieke
RIFFEL Christa
Team Rupelcleaning
GRÖNDAHL Antonia
SHARPE Alice
GRIFFIN Mia
MURPHY Kelly
BETZ Svenja
VAN DE VEL Sara
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Hi, I'm one of Cycling Weekly's content writers for the web team responsible for writing stories on racing, tech, updating evergreen pages as well as the weekly email newsletter. Proud Yorkshireman from the UK's answer to Flanders, Calderdale, go check out the cobbled climbs!
I started watching cycling back in 2010, before all the hype around London 2012 and Bradley Wiggins at the Tour de France. In fact, it was Alberto Contador and Andy Schleck's battle in the fog up the Tourmalet on stage 17 of the Tour de France.
It took me a few more years to get into the journalism side of things, but I had a good idea I wanted to get into cycling journalism by the end of year nine at school and started doing voluntary work soon after. This got me a chance to go to the London Six Days, Tour de Yorkshire and the Tour of Britain to name a few before eventually joining Eurosport's online team while I was at uni, where I studied journalism. Eurosport gave me the opportunity to work at the world championships in Harrogate back in the awful weather.
After various bar jobs, I managed to get my way into Cycling Weekly in late February of 2020 where I mostly write about racing and everything around that as it's what I specialise in but don't be surprised to see my name on other news stories.
When not writing stories for the site, I don't really switch off my cycling side as I watch every race that is televised as well as being a rider myself and a regular user of the game Pro Cycling Manager. Maybe too regular.
My bike is a well used Specialized Tarmac SL4 when out on my local roads back in West Yorkshire as well as in northern Hampshire with the hills and mountains being my preferred terrain.