There’s an icy wind in and around Staden, it’s blown. There are 174 participants for this opening classic, good for 156 kilometers, divided over 6 local rounds, and 2 larger ones with the infamous Steenstraat.
Two early birds took off in the very early stages. Mathias Vanoverberghe of Decock-Van Eyck-Van Mossel, and Ewout De Keyser of Dovy Kitchens. The duo immediately took about 20 seconds, and then seven more joined, including Gianni Marchand from Zedelgem.
And reinforcements arrived in that first big round along the cobblestones of the Steenstraat. All together they are 23, the rest of the field followed at almost two minutes.
But that leading group did not stay together, at least one jumped out. A man with experience, because in 2020 he became European mixed relay champion with Germany, and therefore a gifted time trialist. It’s about Justin Wolf. And he proves that he is worthy of his letters of nobility. All alone he drove away from the rest for almost a minute and that’s how he wins Gent-Staden.