Ganna overtakes Van Aert in final meters to win 80th edition of Dwars door Vlaanderen
A strong Filippo Ganna claim his first-ever Dwars door Vlaanderen victory. In a race packed with attacks, Wout van Aert seemed destined for the win for a long time. Van Aert used the Eikenberg as a launchpad, bridged to the leaders in a single acceleration, and went solo with 10 kilometers to go. Despite having to change bikes twice, Ganna still managed to fight his way back to the front. In the closing kilometers, the Italian escaped the peloton in pursuit of Van Aert. He overtook Van Aert in the final meters while narrowly holding off the charging pack. A valiant Van Aert finished second, while Waerenskjold won the sprint for third place.
Around midday, the start signal for the 80th edition of Dwars door Vlaanderen was given in Roeselare. With many riders eager to join the early breakaway, attacks came in waves. A definitive move failed to form during the first hour, although the pace was extremely high with an average speed of 49.4 km/h. In the opening phase of the race, Teuns (Cofidis) and Berckmoes (Lotto Intermarché) abandoned after a crash.
The race exploded on the Berg ten Houte after 75 kilometres. An elite front group of eighteen riders — including Laporte and Brennan (Team Visma | Lease a Bike), F. Vermeersch (UAE Team Emirates - XRG), Andresen (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale Team) and Pedersen (Lidl-Trek) — broke away from the peloton. INEOS Grenadiers and Alpecin-Premier Tech had missed the move and led the chase. At the top of the Trieu, the peloton was significantly reduced, while De Lie (Lotto Intermarché) was dropped and abandoned the race shortly afterwards.
With 84 kilometres to go, everything had to be reset following a regrouping with the peloton. On the Onderbossenaarstraat, Watson (INEOS Grenadiers) launched a new attack, after which a small group including Van Aert (Team Visma | Lease a Bike) and Pedersen managed to bridge across. However, this breakaway attempt did not last and was reeled back in after a few kilometres. The biggest casualties of the high pace were Andresen and Milan (Lidl-Trek).
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The following 30 kilometers were marked by several breakaway attempts. A group including former Tour of Flanders winner Bettiol (EF Education - EasyPost) failed to extend their lead beyond 10 seconds. On the descent of the Hotond, a trio finally managed to break clear: Grégoire (Groupama - FDJ), Gachignard (TotalEnergies), and Larsen (Unibet Rose Rockets) built up a 30-second gap and seemed to be working well together. A strong Van Aert used the Eikenberg as a springboard and bridged the gap in a single acceleration. The pace proved too much for Gachignard, leaving us with a leading trio once again.
Behind the leading trio, a chasing group of three emerged: F. Vermeersch, Sheffield (INEOS Grenadiers), and T. Van Dijke escaped from the peloton in pursuit of the leaders. Following another acceleration by Van Aert on the Nokereberg, Grégoire was dropped. Larsen managed to hang on, leaving the two of them to head toward the finish in Waregem with 20km to go. Behind them, the pack reformed and the hunt for the leading duo was on.
With 10 kilometers to go, Van Aert dropped his final breakaway companion and went solo. Ganna (INEOS Grenadiers) escaped from the peloton in the closing kilometers and launched a chase for the Belgian. The Italian had to change bikes twice during this race, but he still managed to fight his way back to the front of the race. Van Aert entered the final kilometer with a 5-second lead, but it proved not to be enough. Ganna overtook Van Aert in the final meters to win the 80th edition of Dwars door Vlaanderen. Following a powerful performance, the Belgian finished a strong second, while Waerenskjold (Uno-X Mobility) won the sprint for third place.
