2025 Gent-Wevelgem Odds, Predictions and How To Watch

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On Sunday, March 30, the 87^th edition of Gent-Wevelgem gets underway at the Menin Gate in Ypres, Flanders, Belgium. This classics race is the third of five events that make up Flemish Cycling Week, which concludes on Sunday, April 6, with the Tour of Flanders.

The first cycling event to kick off the annual Flemish week of racing was the Classic Brugge-De Panne, which ended up being a war of attrition on Wednesday, March 26.

In the last 6.5km, there were three scary crashes that decimated the field and saw Juan Sebastian Molano edge out my predicted winner, Jonathan Milan, in a photo finish victory.

The second event of the week was the E3 Saxo Bank Classic on Friday, March 28. That race saw Mathieu van der Poel do a solo breakaway for the last 30+ km and win for the second year in a row. Van der Poel definitely made me look smart for picking him.

Mads Pedersen ended up second at the E3 in a valiant effort. He’s listed as the odds-on favorite to win the 2025 Gent-Wevelgem race. Jonathan Milan, Tim Merlier, and Jasper Philipsen join Pedersen as the pre-race favorites.

The fourth event of the Flemish Cycling Week, is Dwars door Vlaanderen which takes place on Wednesday, April 2. As of this writing, it remains to be seen who will be the pre-race favorite.

However, there’s a good chance that some of the riders competing in Gent-Wevelgem will also take the starting line at Dwars door Vlaanderen as well.  

With that said, let’s take a look at the latest cycling odds, courtesy of the top sports betting sites, and make our Gent-Wevelgem predictions.

How To Watch The Gent-Wevelgem?

For the international viewers, TNT Sports and Eurosport will cover this one-day race live from Belgium. For North American viewers, MAX is set to stream this event just like they did the E3 Saxo Classic.

Gent-Wevelgem Route

Despite having Gent in the title, this race no longer starts there. Instead, they will start near the Menin Gate in Ypres, which is a memorial for WWI victims. The peloton will then race 250km across the Flanders region of Belgium and finish on Vanackerestraat in Wevelgem.

This edition’s route is nearly 3km shorter than last year’s route. The climbs don’t begin until 100km to go, so about a little bit more than the halfway mark. However, before then, the peloton will face some serious crosswinds as they head towards the coast.

The route features the following climbs with multiple trips over the same summits:

• Scherpenberg at 147.9km  
• Baneberg at 156.7km  
• Monteberg at 162.2km  
• Kemmelberg (Belvedere) at 164.4km  
• Monteberg at 192.7km  
• Kemmelberg at 194.5km  
• Scherpenberg at 202km  
• Baneberg at 210.7km  
• Kemmelberg (Ossuaire) at 216km  

Following the last climb, which has a max gradient of 21.1%, riders will see flat roads for the final 34km of the stage. More than likely, we’ll see a sprint at the end if there are multiple cyclists working together.

Gent-Wevelgem Odds

Check out the latest Gent-Wevelgem odds:

Mads Pedersen is listed as the top betting favorite for this weekend’s Gent-Wevelgem race. He’s followed by Jonathan Milan. Behind those two at a distance are Jasper Philipsen and Tim Merlier.

After Merlier, it’s a steep drop to the next group of riders in Olav Kooij, Jasper Stuyven, and Biniam Girmay.  Keep reading below to see who I predict to win this race and if it aligns with what the top handicappers are prediction.

Gent-Wevelgem Favorites

Let’s take a look at the odds-on favorites for the 87^th edition of Gent-Wevelgem:

Mads Pedersen (+225)    

Mads Pedersen continued his season to date. He was the only man that could hold the wheel of van der Poel in the E3 before fading to second in the last 20km. Yet, that doesn’t diminish his accomplishment. It was a reversal of fortunes for Pedersen who won Gent-Wevelgem last year after out-sprinting MVDP.

In my E3 Saxo Classic preview, I said the following about Pedersen:

“Pedersen’s form this season gives me confidence he can crack the Top 10 this year. And, if he can hang with the two favorites, then I wouldn’t be surprised if the Danish rider finished on the podium.”

That’s exactly what happened. He finished on the podium as the runner up. It was another solid outing for the Danish rider who has two wins on the year and a 7^th at Milano-San Remo.

In addition to winning last year’s Gent-Wevelgem, Pedersen also won in 2020. He’s aiming to become the 7^th rider to win this race three times.

Jonathan Milan (+400)

Jonathan Milan was inches away from making me look super smart and going 2-0 in the first two legs of Flemish Cycling Week. Unfortunately, he finished 2^nd at Classic Brugge-De Panne.

Yet, that only adds to his overall solid season so far. Just like Tim Merlier, Milan also has sinx wins on the year. Additionally, he’s won two Points Classifications as well.

The 24-year-old started off the seasonwith two stage wins and a second-place result for the Points Classification at the Volta a la Communitat Valenciana.

The Italian followed up that performance with two more victories and the green jersey at the UAE Tour. He also finished in the Top 3 on four stages of this race.

Then, the Lidl-Trek rider won two stages and the Points Classification for the Tirreno-Adriatico. It also included a 5^th in the opening Time Trial which proves he has the speed to compete in any race he enters.

For Milan, he finished 5^th last year in Gent-Wevelgem, which was the best result of his three previous appearances. If he can survive the climbs and crashes, I believe Milan can better this result.

Jasper Philipsen (+800)   

Jasper Philipsen had a poor performance in the Classic Brugge-De Panne after being one of the pre-race favorites looking to capture this race for the third time in a row. Unfortunately, he finished 47^th and was caught up in one of the crashes.

That followed two other poor performances with a 163^rd at Milan-San Remo and a DNF at Danilith Nokere Koerese after crashing out of that event.

Prior to those three races, the Alpecin-Deceuninck sprinter had won at Kuurne-Brussel-Kuuren and was third at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad on March 1.

For Philipsen, this will be his 6^th appearance at Gent-Wevelgem. He was 15^th last year, which was a far drop off from his career-best result of 4^th in 2023. Prior to that, he failed to crack the Top 25 each year.

Philipsen has the speed to contend with Merlier and Milan, I just don’t know if he has the form to beat them. The other two appear to be near peak form, while Philipsen is still looking for his.

Tim Merlier (+800)

Like Milan, Tim Merlier has been one of the best sprinters in the sport this season. The Belgian started off the year with two wins and a runner-up for the Points Classification at the AiUia Tour.

However, that was just the start of good things to come because the 32-year-old then won two more stages at the UAE Tour and was third in the green jersey competition.

But, that’s not all! Merlier would go on to capture two stage wins at Paris-Nice as well. So, he went into Classic Brugge-De Panne as the odds-on favorite to win. Unfortunately, it didn’t happen as he was caught up in one of the final crashes of the stage and scored a DNF.

Merlier didn’t compete in the E3 as he needed stitches in his knee from the crash at Brugge. If he’s recovered, then you have to like the speed that he’s shown this season as this is the on classic that he has a real shot at when at peak form.

The Best Gent-Wevelgem Betting Value

The following cyclists offer betting value based on their current Gent-Wevelgem odds, early season performances, and past success in this race:

Olav Kooij (+1800)

I have been impressed with the performances by Olav Kooij this season even if they haven’t always produced victories. For example, at Kuurne-Brussel-Kurrne, he finished 2^nd to Philipsen.

At the Tour of Oman, he finished 2^nd in the Points Classification but did pick up two stage wins. Kooij also picked up a stage win at the Tirreno-Adriatico along with two three total Top 5 stage results and a third in the Points Classification.

I thought that Kooij would be one of the men to contend for the win at Brugge but he was also caught in one of the final crashes.

According to Visma’s Sports Director Grischa Niermann, Kooij’s injuries weren’t serious enough to keep him out of this weekend’s event:

“As a team, we were in the right position, but a crash was unavoidable. The finale was simply too dangerous today. The road narrowings in the final kilometres led to some risky situations. Unfortunately, Olav also hit the ground, but the damage seems to be limited to abrasions. There are still some big goals ahead for him, so we’ll have to see how he recovers from this crash.”

I think that Kooij offers great betting value as he has the speed and the team to contend with the favorites. If he’s recovered, and can stay out of trouble, look for Kooij to contend for more than just a podium finish.

Biniam Girmay (+2500)

It was in 2022, that Biniam Girmay stormed onto the scene by winning the 2022 Gent-Wevelgem. Since then, he’s become one of the sport’s most popular riders. He’s one that I always hope can win a race. Unfortunately, he seems to be lacking his top form at this point in the season.

Girmay just finished 22^nd in the E3, which was worse than his 14^th at Milano-San Remo. He appears to not have the support that other sprints have and he also seems to be one notch below the favorites listed above.

With that said, if Girmay can turn his season around, it will be at Gent-Wevelgem where he has plenty of confidence.

The Top Gent-Wevelgem Longshot

Michael Matthews (+4000) is my choice as the best longshot to win the 2025 Gent-Wevelgem. He was also my longshot pick to win the E3 Saxo Classic. Unfortunately, he missed the break just like Girmay and finished 27^th overall, in a pack of riders.

Yet let’s not overlook the fact that he was 4^th at Milano-San Remo and also finished 2nd on Stage 3 of Paris-Nice.

Matthews will make his 6^th start at Gent-Wevelgem. His best result came in 2021, when he finished 5^th overall. Last year was a poor performance as he finished 62^nd.

Matthews best chance is to mark Pedersen and follow the Dane whenever he makes a move. If Matthews can demonstrate top-tier form, then those final 34km of Gent-Wevelgem could be where the Australian pulls of a huge upset.

Gent-Wevelgem Predictions

Philipsen, Milan, Merlier and Kooij all have the speed to win this race. And, if it comes down to a bunch sprint, then we could see the fastest man win. Merlier’s health is too much of a concern for me as I don’t see him being 100% after his ugly crash at Brugge.

Philipsen hasn’t really shown his top form yet and I doubt he has the speed to beat Milan in a sprint right now. That could all change in the Grand Tours.

For me, this race comes down to Milan as the fastest man, Kooij who has one of the top teams, and the defending winner in Pedersen.

I would like to see Kooij win and Milan is itching to get back on the bike and score a victory after being robbed in De Panne. With that said, I’m taking Pedersen and his team to do everything they can to prevent this from being a bunch sprint.

Look for the pace to be hard from the beginning and Pedersen to attack on the final climbs before going on a break away to win the race.

Bet: Mads Pedersen (+225)

Gent-Wevelgem Results

Six different riders are tied for the most all-time Gent-Wevelgem wins with three apiece. Those riders include Robert Van Eenaeme, Rik Van Looy, the great Eddy Merckx, Mario Cipollini, Tom Boonen and Peter Sagan.

Denmark’s Mads Pedersen is the only active rider with two wins including the 2024 edition. Belgium has a huge lead with 50 all-time victories in this race. Italy is second with seven wins.

The following is a list of the recent Gent-Wevelgem winners: