Cyclist Lorena Wiebes secures her 100th career triumph at the Gent-Wevelgem race
Lorena Wiebes Secures 100th Career Victory at Gent-Wevelgem
In a thrilling display of speed and tactical acumen, Lorena Wiebes secured her 100th career victory at Gent-Wevelgem, a prestigious one-day race, on March 2025. The win underscored her position as one of the preeminent sprinters of her generation.
Throughout the race, a seven-rider lead pack, consisting of Katia Ragusa, Beatrice Caudera, Britt de Grave, Mia Griffin, Maaike Boogaard, Franziska Brausse, and Cloe Kiekens, controlled the majority of the race. However, their lead was not insurmountable, as Elena Cecchini and Marta Lach of SD Worx-Protime tried to re-inject pace into the proceedings.
The race was also marked by numerous crashes, which kept the peloton in touch throughout. Despite the challenging conditions, Wiebes remained focused and conserved her energy, waiting for the optimal moment to strike.
With 27km to go, a significant development occurred when two groups merged, forming a five-rider front group that included Elisa Longo Borghini (UAE Team ADQ), Chloe Dygert (Canyon-SRAM zondacrypto), and eventual podium finishers Elisa Balsamo and Charlotte Kool. The five-rider front group held a 15-second lead over the peloton, who were being led by the Lidl-Trek riders.
As the race progressed, the gap between the seven-rider lead pack and the chasers was reduced to 2 minutes 53 seconds. With the peloton preparing for a bunch sprint, Wiebes launched her sprint and held off Balsamo to secure another victory.
The victory at Gent-Wevelgem was a result of a perfectly timed attack in a bunch sprint, showcasing Wiebes' exceptional speed and tactical acumen in high-profile classics. Her sprint success is underscored by previous race patterns such as the Tour de France Femmes 2025 stage wins, where she outpaced rivals even without a final-kilometer lead-out train by skillfully following wheels and timing her sprint perfectly against top competitors like Marianne Vos.
Wiebes' strategy in Gent-Wevelgem combined astute race situational awareness, support from an elite team, and her raw sprint speed to control the final meters, securing a milestone win that also cemented her status as one of the preeminent sprinters of her generation. The victory continued Wiebes' dominant and near unbeaten start to the 2025 season.
In the midst of the race at Gent-Wevelgem, it was clear that Wiebes was not merely participating in sports, but redefining them with her exceptional speed and tactical genius. Furthermore, her victory at Gent-Wevelgem, along with her previous successes in major races like the Tour de France Femmes 2025, demonstrates that Wiebes is more than just a sprinter; she is a force to be reckoned with in the realm of sports.
