2016 Gent–Wevelgem

the Women's race 2016 Gent–Wevelgem (women) 2016 Gent–Wevelgem 2016 UCI World Tour 7 28Wynn Nigel UCI WorldTour calendar 2016 https://www.cyclingweekly.co.uk/news/latest-news/uci-worldtour-calendar-2016-193076 Cycling Weekly Immediate Media Company 7 December 2015 Gent-Wevelgem 2016 map.png Map of the hills area of 2016 Gent–Wevelgem 27 March 2016 1 243 km 5h 55' 16" Peter Sagan TNK 2016 SVK Sep Vanmarcke TLJ 2016 BEL Vyacheslav Kuznetsov KAT 2016 RUS 2015 2017 The 2016 Gent–Wevelgem, (officially Gent–Wevelgem – In Flanders FieldsIn Flanders Fields http://www.gentwevelgem.be/en/elite-men/history/in-flanders-fields gent-wevegem.be Flanders Classics 7 December 2015September 2018 InternetArchiveBot yes ) was a one-day Belgian cycling classic that took place on 27 March 2016. It was the 78th edition of the Gent–Wevelgem race and the seventh event of the 2016 UCI World Tour. The race followed a 243 km on course that started in Deinze and ended in Wevelgem in Belgium, with a portion of the race spent in northern France. The race included ten climbs, several of them cobbled, which provided the principal difficulty in the race. The last and most difficult climb was the Kemmelberg. The favourites for the race included Alexander Kristoff (KAT 2016), Fabian Cancellara (TFR 2016), and Peter Sagan (TNK 2016). The race was won by Peter Sagan. Sagan escaped with Cancellara and Sep Vanmarcke (TLJ 2016) on the Kemmelberg after a series of splits had occurred in the first half of the race. They were joined by Vyacheslav Kuznetsov (KAT 2016), who had been in the day's early breakaway, and the four-man group came to the finish together. Sagan won the sprint, with Vanmarcke second and Kuznetsov third. During the French portion of the race, the Belgian rider Antoine Demoitié (WGG 2016) crashed and was then hit by a race motorbike. He died that evening. Route thumb|200px|right|The Kemmelberg was addressed by its toughest road, with slopes up to 23% gradient. The route of the 2016 Gent–Wevelgem was significantly changed from 2015 edition and from previous editions. Several different climbs were used. Central among these was the decision to use a different side of the core climb in the race, the Kemmelberg. In previous years, the route chosen had a maximum gradient of 17%, but the 2016 edition used a road that had a section at 23%, described by Cycling Weekly as "excruciating".Puddicombe Stephen Ghent-Wevelgem 2016 preview https://www.cyclingweekly.co.uk/news/latest-news/ghent-wevelgem-2016-preview-218376 13 April 2016 Cycling Weekly 25 March 2016 The race director, Hans De Clercq, gave three reasons for the change: the cobblestones had recently been relaid; the 2016 edition marked the 60th anniversary of the inclusion of the Kemmelberg, with the difficult side used on that occasion; and there was a desire to give the race more of a balance between sprinters and attackers.Fletcher Patrick Gent–Wevelgem to be revamped with steeper side of the Kemmelberg https://www.cyclingnews.com/news/gent-wevelgem-to-be-revamped-with-steeper-side-of-the-kemmelberg/ Cyclingnews.com 7 December 2015 27 November 2015 COTACOL nl, a Belgian work that lists and grades all the climbs in the country, rated the side of the Kemmelberg used in 2016 as the most difficult climb in Flanders: its grading of 183 points was more than the Koppenberg (172), the Muur van Geraardsbergen (171) or the traditional route up the Kemmelberg (152). The race started in Deinze in East Flanders, 20 km from Ghent.Cash Dane Preview: Gent–Wevelgem, a sprinter's classic? http://velonews.competitor.com/2016/03/news/preview-gent-wevelgem-a-sprinters-classic_399752 13 April 2016 VeloNews Competitor Group, Inc. 25 March 2016 18 April 2016 https://web.archive.org/web/20160418204124/http://velonews.competitor.com/2016/03/news/preview-gent-wevelgem-a-sprinters-classic_399752 dead The route took the riders immediately into West Flanders. After 77 km of flat roads, they came near the coast at Veurne. Here the route took the riders south into northern France; after 119 km the peloton passed through Wormhout, then continued south of Steenvoorde, where there were the first climbs in the race. The first eight climbs came quickly, packed into a 32 km stretch of road. The first climb was the Catsberg; this was followed by the Kokereelberg, the Vert Mon, the Côte du Ravel Put and the Côte de la Blanchisserie. The riders then returned to Belgium and climbed the Baneberg, the Kemmelberg and the Monteberg. There was then a flatter section, looping through Mesen, Ploegsteer and Nieuwkerke. The final two climbs were a repeat of the Baneberg–Kemmelberg combination. At the top of the final climb, there were 34 km of fairly flat roads to the finish in Wevelgem.Gent – Wevelgem in Flanders Fields (profile) http://www.procyclingstats.com/race.php?id=163618&c=6&stat_id=217 ProCyclingStats 13 April 2016 Participating teams There were 25 teams selected to take part in the race. All 18 UCI WorldTeams were automatically invited;http://www.uci.ch/mm/Document/News/Rulesandregulation/16/82/39/2-ROA-20150619-E_English.pdf UCI Cycling Regulations: Part 2: Road Races page 110 article 2.15.127 Union Cycliste Internationale 20 February 2016 https://web.archive.org/web/20150702030045/http://www.uci.ch/mm/Document/News/Rulesandregulation/16/82/39/2-ROA-20150619-E_English.pdf 2 July 2015 the race organisers gave wildcard invitations to seven UCI Professional Continental teams. These included two Belgian teams (WGG 2016 and TSV 2016), two French teams (DEN 2016 and COF 2016), a Dutch team (ROO 2016), an Italian team (CSF 2016) and a Polish team (CCC 2016).Wildcards named for Gent–Wevelgem, Volta a Catalunya https://www.cyclingnews.com/news/wildcards-named-for-gent-wevelgem-volta-a-catalunya/ 13 April 2016 Cyclingnews.com 29 January 2016 Each team could include eight riders.Gent–Wevelgem Technical Guide 2016 Koninklijke Véloclub Het Vliegend Wiel Mariakerke 29 OGE 2016a's team of seven was the only one submitted with fewer than eight riders, but three riders (SKY 2016's Ian Stannard, KAT 2016's Alexander Kristoff and ALM 2016's Alexis Gougeard) did not start the race; 196 riders therefore departed from Deinze.Gent – Wevelgem in Flanders Fields (start list) http://www.procyclingstats.com/race/Gentwevelgem_2016_Startlist ProCyclingStats 13 April 2016 30 January 2017 https://web.archive.org/web/20170130224612/http://www.procyclingstats.com/race/Gentwevelgem_2016_Startlist dead UCI WorldTeams ALM AST BMC CPT 2016a DDD EQS FDJ IAM LAM LTS MOV OBE 2016a TGA KAT TLJ SKY TNK TFR 2016 UCI Professional Continental teams CCC COF CSF DEN ROO TSV WGG 2016 Pre-race favourites There was some uncertainty before the race about whether it would favour the sprinters or those who attacked on the hills. Among the sprinters, Alexander Kristoff, the winner of the 2014 Tour of Flanders, was the favourite, with André Greipel (LTS 2016), Arnaud Démare (FDJ 2016), Mark Cavendish (DDD 2016), Elia Viviani (SKY 2016) and Fernando Gaviria (EQS 2016) also considered possible winners. Kristoff, however, had to pull out of the race due to a fever that started after E3 Harelbeke two days earlier.Kristoff out of Gent–Wevelgem due to illness https://www.cyclingnews.com/news/kristoff-out-of-gent-wevelgem-due-to-illness/ 13 April 2016 Cyclingnews.com 27 March 2016 There were also many riders who had the potential to attack earlier in the race. These included Tom Boonen (Etixx–Quick-Step), who had won the race on three previous occasions, and his teammates Niki Terpstra and Zdeněk Štybar. Peter Sagan (TNK 2016), the reigning world champion, had won the race in 2013 with a solo attack; he also had the ability to perform strongly in a sprint. He had not yet won a race in 2016.Peter Sagan (2016 season) http://www.procyclingstats.com/rider.php?id=140797&season=2016 ProCyclingStats 13 April 2016 Other riders likely to attack early in the race included Fabian Cancellara (TFR 2016), Luke Rowe (Sky), Sep Vanmarcke (TLJ 2016), Greg Van Avermaet (BMC 2016) and Edvald Boasson Hagen (Dimension Data), who had won the 2009 edition of the race.E3 Harelbeke and Gent–Wevelgem provide key test before Tour of Flanders https://www.cyclingnews.com/races/e3-harelbeke-2016/preview/ 13 April 2016 Cyclingnews.com 24 March 2016 The 2015 winner, Luca Paolini, was not present to defend his title due to his suspension following a positive test for cocaine during the 2015 Tour de France. Race summary thumb|upright|Peter Sagan (TNK 2016), wearing the rainbow jersey of the reigning world champion (photographed at the 2016 Omloop Het Nieuwsblad) The race took place in windy weather. Combined with a crash, these conditions caused the peloton to break into several groups in the first part of the race. The first group was a five-rider breakaway, composed of Lieuwe Westra (AST 2016), Pavel Brutt (Tinkoff), Josef Černý (CCC–Sprandi–Polkowice), Jonas Rickaert (TSV 2016) and Simon Pellaud (IAM 2016). Their lead extended to eleven minutes at one point, but was quickly reduced when the pace of the main peloton increased. This broke the peloton into echelons. By the halfway stage, there was a chasing group 90 seconds behind that contained many of the race favourites, including Boonen, Boasson Hagen, Cancellara, Sagan, Tiesj Benoot and Jens Debusschere (both Lotto–Soudal), and Van Avermaet. They were chased by another group that was led by Trek–Segafredo and LottoNL–Jumbo; this group was around a minute further behind. With 115 km remaining, the first chasing group caught the breakaway; 24 km later, this group was in turn caught by the other chasing group. There was therefore a 50-rider group at the head of the race.Rogers Neal Rainbow curse, lifted! Peter Sagan wins Gent–Wevelgem from breakaway http://cyclingtips.com/2016/03/rainbow-curse-lifted-peter-sagan-wins-gent-wevelgem-from-breakaway/ 14 April 2016 CyclingTips 28 March 2016 21 April 2016 https://web.archive.org/web/20160421235450/http://cyclingtips.com/2016/03/rainbow-curse-lifted-peter-sagan-wins-gent-wevelgem-from-breakaway/ deadDecaulwé Brecht Sagan wins Gent–Wevelgem http://www.cyclingnews.com/gent-wevelgem/results/ 14 April 2016 Cyclingnews.com 27 March 2016 https://web.archive.org/web/20160416111700/http://www.cyclingnews.com/gent-wevelgem/results/ 2016-04-16 dead There was calm in the peloton for a while, with five climbs remaining to be raced. Trek–Segafredo controlled the peloton over the Baneberg and the first climb of the Kemmelberg. Between the two climbs, however, Debusschere crashed and was forced to retire from the race. On the Monteberg, with 66 km remaining, five riders attacked. These were Matteo Trentin, who initiated the move, Brutt, Benoot, Daniel Oss (BMC 2016) and Giacomo Nizzolo (Trek–Segafredo). They were chased by Dimension Data and LottoNL–Jumbo, but it took 15 km to bring them back. When they were caught, Vyacheslav Kuznetsov (Katusha) attacked alone and had a minute's lead by the second climb of the Baneberg. Vanmarcke attacked on the Baneberg, but was chased down by the peloton, led by Manuel Quinziato (BMC). On the second climb of the Kemmelberg, from the difficult side, Cancellara attacked and was followed by Vanmarcke and Sagan. They caught Kuznetsov and formed a four-man leading group. They were chased at first by a group of Luke Rowe, Zdeněk Štybar and Greg Van Avermaet, but were able to increase their advantage. The chasing group was caught by the peloton and the four leaders came to the finish together with a comfortable advantage.Sagan gets his win at Gent–Wevelgem http://velonews.competitor.com/2016/03/news/road/sagan-gets-his-win-at-gent-wevelgem_399935 https://web.archive.org/web/20160331032624/http://velonews.competitor.com/2016/03/news/road/sagan-gets-his-win-at-gent-wevelgem_399935 dead March 31, 2016 14 April 2016 VeloNews Competitor Group, Inc. 27 March 2016 They had a lead of 40 seconds until they slowed down significantly in preparation for the sprint. Kuznetsov was the first to sprint; he was followed, however, by Sagan, who came past him to take the race victory. Vanmarcke finished just ahead of Kuznetsov to take second place, with Cancellara finishing fourth.Windsor Richard Peter Sagan takes his first win in the rainbow jersey at the 2016 Ghent-Wevelgem https://www.cyclingweekly.co.uk/news/latest-news/peter-sagan-takes-his-first-win-in-the-rainbow-jersey-at-the-2016-ghent-wevelgem-218461 14 April 2016 Cycling Weekly 27 March 2016 The peloton finished eleven seconds behind, with Démare winning the sprint for fifth place. Death of Antoine Demoitié The race was marred by the death of Antoine Demoitié (WGG 2016 y). Demoitié crashed with four other riders near Sainte-Marie-Cappel during the French section of the race, with approximately 115 km of racing remaining. After the crash, he was lying on the road and was hit by a race motorbike that was following the riders. Demoitié was initially taken to hospital in Ypres before being transferred to the intensive care unit of the university hospital in Lille, due to the severity of his injuries. His team released a statement describing his condition as "extremely serious"; several hours later, a spokesman for the local gendarmerie confirmed that he had died.https://www.cyclingweekly.co.uk/news/latest-news/belgian-rider-antoine-demoitie-dies-in-hospital-after-ghent-wevelgem-crash-218488 Belgian rider Antoine Demoitié dies in hospital after Ghent-Wevelgem crash 27 March 2016 Cycling Weekly 14 April 2016 Time Inc. UKAntoine Demoitié dies following Gent–Wevelgem crash https://www.cyclingnews.com/news/antoine-demoiti-dies-following-gent-wevelgem-crash/ Cyclingnews.com 28 March 2016 28 March 2016 The crash was seen by Julien Jurdie, a fr directeur sportif for the ALM 2016 team, who said that Demoitié had been part of a group chasing to get back to the peloton, travelling downhill at around 70 km/h. He said that, when the riders crashed, there was no time for the motorbike rider to brake and he immediately recognised that the incident was very serious.Eye witness describes Demoitié crash at Gent–Wevelgem http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/eye-witness-describes-demoiti-crash-at-gent-wevelgem/ 14 April 2016 Cyclingnews.com 29 March 2016 https://web.archive.org/web/20160412144512/http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/eye-witness-describes-demoiti-crash-at-gent-wevelgem/ 2016-04-12 dead Results thumb|Finish line Result (top 10 of 82 finishers)Gent – Wevelgem in Flanders Fields (result) http://www.procyclingstats.com/race/Gentwevelgem_2016 ProCyclingStats 14 April 2016 13 April 2016 30 April 2016 https://web.archive.org/web/20160430022813/http://www.procyclingstats.com/race/Gentwevelgem_2016 dead 1 Peter Sagan SVK TNK 2016 5h 55' 12" 2 Sep Vanmarcke BEL TLJ 2016 + 0" 3 Vyacheslav Kuznetsov RUS KAT 2016 + 0" 4 Fabian Cancellara SUI TFR 2016 + 0" 5 Arnaud Démare FRA FDJ 2016 + 11" 6 Fernando Gaviria COL EQS 2016 + 11" 7 Jürgen Roelandts BEL LTS 2016 + 11" 8 Jacopo Guarnieri ITA KAT 2016 + 11" 9 Greg Van Avermaet BEL BMC 2016 + 11" 10 Michael Mørkøv DEN KAT 2016 + 11" Post-race analysis Reaction to Demoitié's death thumb|upright|Antoine Demoitié (WGG 2016) (photographed in 2015) There was widespread sadness among those involved in professional cycling following Demoitié's death, especially after a second young Belgian cyclist, RLM 2016's Daan Myngheer, died after suffering a heart attack at the Critérium International.Tributes flow in for Daan Myngheer and Antoine Demoitie https://www.cyclingnews.com/news/tributes-flow-in-for-daan-myngheer-and-antoine-demoitie/ 14 April 2016 Cyclingnews.com 29 March 2016 Sep Vanmarcke tweeted "Suddenly a 2nd place no longer important after this terrible news." Other riders, especially those in Demoitié's WGG 2016 y team, also expressed their sadness.Riders, teammates and friends pay tribute to Antoine Demoitie https://www.cyclingnews.com/news/riders-teammates-and-friends-pay-tribute-to-antoine-demoitie/ 14 April 2016 Cyclingnews.com 28 March 2016 The team's fr directeur sportif, Hilaire Van der Schueren, paid tribute to his rider, saying that he was "happy because he was a cyclist". Demoitié had made his first appearance at a World Tour race at E3 Harelbeke two days previously and had been in the day's main breakaway. Following his strong performance, he had asked to be allowed to stay in the main peloton in search of a good finish in Wevelgem. The team withdrew from the Three Days of De Panne the following week.Ryan Barry Demoitie's fatal crash 'will stay with me for a long, long time' says Van der Schueren https://www.cyclingnews.com/news/demoities-fatal-crash-will-stay-with-me-for-a-long-long-time-says-van-der-schueren/ 14 April 2016 Cyclingnews.com 28 March 2016 As well as the tributes to Demoitié, many riders also called for improved safety for professional bike races. Many riders had been involved with crashes with race motorbikes in the previous few years, including Peter Sagan, Taylor Phinney, Greg Van Avermaet, Sérgio Paulinho, Jakob Fuglsang, Jesse Sergent, Sylvain Chavanel and Stig Broeckx. Alberto Contador tweeted "Regulations on motos in races are needed NOW", while other riders called for clear rules, speed limits and exams for race motorbike riders. Marcel Kittel described rider safety as an issue that needed the same priority as anti-doping.Kittel says rider safety needs same priority as anti-doping after Demoitie's death https://www.cyclingnews.com/news/kittel-says-rider-safety-needs-same-priority-as-anti-doping-after-demoities-death/ 14 April 2016 Cyclingnews.com 29 March 2016 Wanty–Groupe Gobert's press officer said that the motorbike rider was experienced and was not to blame for the accident.Brown Gregor Wanty-Groupe Gobert refuse to blame moto driver for death of Antoine Demoitié https://www.cyclingweekly.co.uk/news/latest-news/wanty-groupe-gobert-refuse-to-blame-moto-driver-for-death-of-antoine-demoitie-218519 14 April 2016 Cycling Weekly 28 March 2016 The president of cycling's governing body, the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI), said that there would be an emergency meeting of its Road Commission to discuss the incident; he also said that they needed to wait for the result of the police enquiry and that it was important to make sure that the "right decisions" were made.Stokes Shane Ten days after Demoitié's death, what's the latest on motorbike safety? http://cyclingtips.com/2016/04/ten-days-after-demoities-death-whats-the-latest-on-motorbike-safety/ 14 April 2016 CyclingTips 6 April 2016 15 April 2016 https://web.archive.org/web/20160415180702/http://cyclingtips.com/2016/04/ten-days-after-demoities-death-whats-the-latest-on-motorbike-safety/ dead Reaction to the race Peter Sagan's victory in the race was his first since winning the rainbow jersey at the world championships road race the previous year. It was the end of what Cycling Weekly called a "frustrating run" that had included second place at E3 Harelbeke two days previously.Windsor Richard Five things we learned from E3 Harelbeke and Ghent-Wevelgem https://www.cyclingweekly.co.uk/news/latest-news/five-things-we-learned-from-e3-harelbeke-and-ghent-wevelgem-218484 14 April 2016 Cycling Weekly 27 March 2016 He said that he was very happy to have won in the rainbow jersey, especially as Gent–Wevelgem was an important race to him. He said that he was determined not to make the same mistake as he had in previous races by working hard in the final part of the race; Kuznetsov's early sprint then set him up for his own sprint.O'Shea Sadhbh Sagan learns from past mistakes to win Gent–Wevelgem in rainbow jersey https://www.cyclingnews.com/news/sagan-learns-from-past-mistakes-to-win-gent-wevelgem-in-rainbow-jersey/ 14 April 2016 Cyclingnews.com 27 March 2016 Vanmarcke said that he was "pleased with second place" as he had had a difficult race. He was trapped in the second echelon when the race split early on and it took a "long pursuit" to get back to the leaders. Although he was not quite able to follow Cancellara and Sagan on the final climb, he rode aggressively on the descent and got back to them. He said that he was very tired at the end of the race and that it was hard to beat Sagan and Cancellara.Ryan Barry Vanmarcke content with second place behind Sagan at Gent–Wevelgem https://www.cyclingnews.com/news/vanmarcke-content-with-second-place-behind-sagan-at-gent-wevelgem/ 14 April 2016 Cyclingnews.com 27 March 2016 Cancellara said "for sure it's happy Easter day but it's not happy Gent–Wevelgem day" as he finished fourth out of four riders in the final sprint. He was happy, however, that he had always been at the front of the race and had not crashed. Cyclingnews.com wrote that he would still be the "principal favourite" the following Sunday for the Tour of Flanders.Ryan Barry Cancellara: The first impression is not the happiest https://www.cyclingnews.com/news/cancellara-the-first-impression-is-not-the-happiest/ 14 April 2016 Cyclingnews.com 27 March 2016 UCI World Tour standings Following his second place in E3 Harelbeke and his victory in Gent–Wevelgem, Sagan moved into the lead of the season-long UCI World Tour competition, seven points ahead of Richie Porte (BMC). Sagan's teammate Alberto Contador had moved up into third place after the Volta a Catalunya; Tinkoff moved into the lead of the teams' rankings. Australia remained at the top of the nations' rankings.Sagan surges to WorldTour lead https://www.cyclingnews.com/news/sagan-surges-to-worldtour-lead/ 14 April 2016 Cyclingnews.com 28 March 2016 UCI World Tour standings on 27 March 2016UCI WorldTour Ranking - 2016 http://www.uci.html.infostradasports.com/cache/2/TheASP.asp@PageID%3D102007&SportID%3D102&CompetitionID%3D24055&SeasonID%3D490&EventID%3D12146&GenderID%3D1&ClassID%3D1&EventPhaseID%3D1444755&Phase1ID%3D1444788&TaalCode%3D2&StyleID%3D0&Cache%3D2.html?607235 uci.ch Union Cycliste Internationale 9 April 2016 https://web.archive.org/web/20160409153440/http://www.uci.html.infostradasports.com/cache/2/TheASP.asp%40PageID%3D102007%26SportID%3D102%26CompetitionID%3D24055%26SeasonID%3D490%26EventID%3D12146%26GenderID%3D1%26ClassID%3D1%26EventPhaseID%3D1444755%26Phase1ID%3D1444788%26TaalCode%3D2%26StyleID%3D0%26Cache%3D2.html?607235 9 April 2016 dead yes 1 Peter Sagan SVK TNK 2016 229 2 Richie Porte AUS BMC 2016 222 3 Alberto Contador ESP TNK 2016 171 4 Greg Van Avermaet BEL BMC 2016 162 5 Arnaud Démare FRA FDJ 2016 137 6 Sergio Henao COL SKY 2016 115 7 Simon Gerrans AUS OGE 2016a 113 8 Nairo Quintana COL MOV 2016 104 9 Geraint Thomas GBR SKY 2016 104 10 Michał Kwiatkowski POL SKY 2016 102 References 30em External links https://www.gent-wevelgem.be/en Gent-Wevelgem (2016) Technical Guide http://gw.pro.p.assets.flandersclassics.be/files/2400/original/FC16_TG_MWT.pdf?1458801301 2016-03-25 https://web.archive.org/web/20160404193540/http://gw.pro.p.assets.flandersclassics.be/files/2400/original/FC16_TG_MWT.pdf?1458801301 2016-04-04 dead Gent-Wevelgem (2016) Het Koersblad (Dutch) http://gw.pro.p.assets.flandersclassics.be/files/1838/original/GW_2015_krantje_HR.pdf?1427373313 2016-03-25 https://web.archive.org/web/20150911220940/http://gw.pro.p.assets.flandersclassics.be/files/1838/original/GW_2015_krantje_HR.pdf?1427373313 2015-09-11 dead Category:Gent–Wevelgem Gent-Wevelgem Gent-Wevelgem