Pedersen beats van der Poel for second Gent-Wevelgem success

Former world champion Mads Pedersen beat reigning world champion Mathieu van der Poel in a sprint finish to claim his second title at the Gent-Wevelgem cycling race on Sunday.

Denmark's Pedersen of the Lidl-trek team repeated his success at the Belgian race from 2020 while denying his Dutch rival a first success in the race over 253.1 kilometres.

The two were part of a leader group which formed with less than 100km left on the first Kemmelberg climb, and they were then on their own after the third and final way up the highest point of western Flanders 34km from the finish line.

Alpecin-Deceuninck's van der Poel was seen as the stronger sprinter but lacked energy in the finale which Pedersen won from the front in Wevelgem.

The women's race over 171.2km was not decided at the Kemmelberg despite breakaway attempts, and came down to a peleton sprint won by Dutch rider Lorena Wiebes in a photo finish over former world champion Elina Balsamo of Italy.