GENT-WEVELGEM: The Basic Picture Gallery

March 26, 2022

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PeloPics: Gent-Wevelgem is this Sunday, and we have rummaged through the Cor Vos archive and put together this collection of the best Wevelgem photos from the 70s, 80s and 90s. The Wevelgem race might be the poor cousin of the Ronde van Vlaanderen with less muurs and cobbles, but it always had a worthy winner. It used to be thought of as a sprinters race, but looking back there have been more solo and sprints from a small group to sort out the victory.

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Andre Dierickx and Frans Verbeeck were two hard men, if Merckx, Maertens and De Vlaeminck hadn’t been around they would have won so much more

Freddy Maertens won in Wevelgem in 1975 and 1976. He took some big scalps in ’75: Frans Verbeeck, Rik Van Linden, Gerben Karstens, Marc Demeyer, Eddy Merckx, André Dierickx, Francesco Moser, Roger Swerts and Michel Pollentier

World champion Hennie Kuiper was on the attack in Gent-Wevelgem 1976, although in the end he didn’t finish

After nearly 7 hours Bernard Hinault (Gitane-Campagnolo) won his first Classic – 1977 Gent-Wevelgem. Vittorio Algeri (G.B.C.) was second at 1:24

The team cars looked a bit different in the 70’s. Walter Planckaert was second for C&A in 1978

Famous derny rider, Joop Zijlaard also rode a moto and liked snow sculptures on his helmet

Sean Kelly, Frank Hoste and Gregor Braun dismount their bikes as they run up the Kemmelberg during the 1982 edition of the race. The Kemmelberg starts at around 8% and then goes to over 20% towards the top

Gregor Braun of Germany put in a brilliant solo effort over the final 35 kilometers of the 1982 race. Unfortunately, the brilliant effort by Braun would not be enough to secure the win, he would end up finishing in 10th place

Johan Lammerts on the second climb of the Kemmelberg

Gent-Wevelgem takes in the Flemish villages

The 1985 Gent-Wevelgem was just barely won by Eric Vanderaerden, over teammate Phil Anderson. The margin of victory was 5cm. He would also win the Tour of Flanders in 1985. Vanderaerden had many major wins during his carrer including five stages of the 1986 Tour de France, along with the maillot vert that year

Dag Otto Lauritzen going solo in ’88, he finished in 17th place

Stefan Mutter and Phil Anderson ahead of Fons De Wolf on the Kemmelberg in ’88. De Wolf was considered by many to be the successor to Eddy Merckx. He would secure many wins throughout his career including winning the 1980 Giro di Lombardia and the 1981 Milan-San Remo. After retiring from cycling in 1990, he became a funeral director in Breendonk

Sean Kelly at the top of the Kemmelberg. The Irishman’s effort would be rewarded with the win in the 1988 race

In 1991 the race still started in Gent, the riders leaving ‘t Kuipke velodrome

Those cross-winds cause echelons

Frankie Andreu in 1992

1993 winner Mario Cipolini beat a bunch of 46 riders. Eric Vanderaerden (Wordperfect) was second, Djamolidine Abdoujaparov (Lampre-Polti) third and Frédéric Moncassin (Wordperfect) was fourth

Ludwig Willems worked hard for his GB-MG Magnificio teammate Wilfried Peeters

The Kemmelberg

1994 was a close battle between Wilfried Peeters (GB-MG Maglificio) and Franco Ballerini (Mapei-Clas), Johan Museeuw (GB-MG Maglificio) was third at the head of a group of eight chasers

Knesselare in East Flanders, most of the 8,000 people who live there would have be roadside

Edwig van Hooydonck passing the picturesque Mont Cassel in 1995. Hooydonck put in a long effort, explaining that he was testing his legs for Sunday’s Paris-Roubaix, which he would not win and never eventually win. However, he was able to capture two wins at Flanders in 1989 and 1990. He would retire from the world of professional cycling after declaring that he could no longer compete with other cyclists because EPO was becoming too widely used

The peloton has to be very careful on the descent of the Kemmelberg as they pass the Kemmel commemorative war memorial, the Monument aux soldats Français, constructed in 1932. The memorial column depicts the Roman victory goddess Victoria. In the area, the monument is colloquially called “The Angel”