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Sam Bennett is set to spearhead Deceuninck-QuickStep's line-up at Gent Wevelgem tomorrow, a race the Irishman last rode four years ago. Since then Bennett has emerged as one of the top sprinters in the sport.
This year he has already taken two stages in both UAE Tour and Paris-Nice as well as winning his first ever one-day WorldTour race last Wednesday at Oxyclean Classic Brugge-De Panne.
His best result in Gent-Wevelgem so far in his career was 12th in 2014; the only time he was in the front group sprinting for 1st place, taken by John Degenkolb on the day.
Tomorrow he is part of a team that also includes Omloop Het Nieuwsblad winner Davide Ballerini, Yves Lampaert, Michael Mørkøv, Stijn Steels and Zdenek Stybar.
“Gent-Wevelgem is a great race, always entertaining, with
plenty of action long before the finish,” said Deceuninck-QuickStep sports
director Wilfried Peeters.
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“We could have echelons this year, which will make for a
very nervous race, but we are very confident, especially after our win on
Friday.
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“Bennett can feature in the finale and fight for a good result, but we have more than one card to play on Sunday, depending on what happens on the Kemmelberg."
While Sam Bennett has been on fire of late – indeed for
several seasons – he won’t have it all his own way as he faces many men who
have won these races, and bigger, in the past.
It is also a race with a significant chance of splitting up and while a sprint from a large group, which would suit Bennett best, is a possible outcome it is not the most likely finish scenario based on previous years.
Last year’s winner, and the former world champion, Mads
Pedersen (Trek-Segafredo) is back, as is the aforementioned Degenkolb and Alexander
Kristoff (UAE Team Emirates), who won two years ago.
Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Fenix) and Arnaud Démare
(Groupama-FDJ), who are both due a big win this season, will also be on the
start line as well as other sprinters like Pascal Ackermann (Bora-hansgrohe),
Cees Bol (Team DSM) and Giacomo Nizzolo (Qhubeka-Assos).
Michael Matthews (Team BikeExchange), who took the
Paris-Nice yellow jersey from Bennett, is also one to watch, as is Matteo
Trentin (UAE Team Emirates) and last weekend’s Milan-Sanremo winner Jasper
Stuyven (Trek-Segafredo).
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