{"id":254777,"date":"2025-11-10T11:43:08","date_gmt":"2025-11-10T11:43:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/254777\/"},"modified":"2025-11-10T11:43:08","modified_gmt":"2025-11-10T11:43:08","slug":"after-92-years-gent-wevelgem-is-changing-its-name","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/254777\/","title":{"rendered":"After 92 years, Gent-Wevelgem is changing its name"},"content":{"rendered":"

The elite men\u2019s Gent-Wevelgem<\/a> will be known as \u2018In Flanders Fields – from Middelkerke to Wevelgem\u2019 from 2026.<\/p>\n

The name change is the race\u2019s first since it was founded in 1934, and comes as part of a deal that will see the event start in the Belgian town of Middelkerke for the next 10 years.<\/p>\n

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The race has begun in Ypres<\/a>, 80km west of Gent, since 2020. The new start location is 40km north of Ypres and located on the coast. It hasn’t started in Gent itself since 2003, when it switched to Deinze.<\/p>\n

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Due to the change, the race organiser, Flanders Classics, has confirmed the course will be getting a \u201cfacelift\u201d in 2026.<\/p>\n

“We’re still working on what that final course will look like. But the Great War will remain inextricably linked to this race, and the intention is to retain the passages through Ypres city center in the final section of the race,\u201d said Flanders Classics CEO Tomas Van Den Spiegel.<\/p>\n

The course will, however, keep its windswept De Moeren section, the iconic climb of the Kemmelberg, and the narrow gravel roads known as \u2018plugstreets\u2019.<\/p>\n

Commenting on the 10-year deal with Middelkerke, Van Den Spiegel said: \u201cWe are delighted to announce a long-term partnership here. Sustainable partnerships are, of course, something we are very keen to foster. The major change, a ten-year contract, and a high level of commitment have also prompted us to change the official name of the race to In Flanders Fields \u2013 from Middelkerke to Wevelgem.<\/p>\n

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\u201cOf course, people will still talk about Gent-Wevelgem given its history, but this way we are further highlighting the unique DNA of this race. A new chapter, in other words, that we are eagerly looking forward to.\u201d<\/p>\n

The women\u2019s race, which began in 2014, and has started in Ypres in recent years, will also change its location from 2026, now taking place on a loop starting and finishing in Wevelgem. Van Den Spiegel explained a start in Middelkerke was \u201cimpossible\u201d for the women\u2019s event, due to the maximum race distances imposed by the UCI.<\/p>\n

The under-17, under-19 and under-23 races will continue to start and finish in Ypres.<\/p>\n

Gent-Wevelgem\u2019s makeover will not be the only race name change on the men\u2019s WorldTour in 2026; in June this year, it was announced that the Crit\u00e9rium du Dauphin\u00e9<\/a> will be known as the Tour Auvergne-Rh\u00f4ne-Alpes<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The newly branded In Flanders Fields – from Middelkerke to Wevelgem is set to take place on 29 March 2026.<\/p>\n

Middelkerke hosted the 2025 European Cyclo-cross Championships this past weekend. Belgium\u2019s Toon Aerts and the Netherlands\u2019 Inge Van der Heijden won the elite titles.<\/p>\n

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\nGent-Wevelgem
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