Five riders who might surprise at Gent-Wevelgem

Madis Mihkels is a really special rider. When he was 19 years old, a 1st year U23, as a stagiaire for Intermarché, he already finished 6th in Gran Piemonte. And it was no ordinary pure sprint race; there was a very tough climb of 3km at 8%, 60km from the finish line. Only 30 riders got over it in the first group, Mihkels being one of them, very impressive.

He further proved that he has a really big engine by finishing in the top ten in Roubaix in 2024. For a sprinter, that is pretty much unseen. That combination of the volume he can handle and the fast legs he has is the perfect profile for Gent-Wevelgem. He could really surprise here.

Yevgeniy Fedorov is a really interesting rider, a bit of an enigma even. Some may remember from the 2021 Tour of Flanders, where he had a dispute with Otto Vergaerde, and both were disqualified. Others will remember him from his 2022 World U23 Championship road race win, where he beat Mathias Vacek.

In 2024, he already showed his engine in Paris-Roubaix by finishing 14th. Last year, he was impressive in all spring classics, but a flat tire sadly took him out of contention in Paris-Roubaix. 

This year, it looks like he came out of Paris-Nice in really good form. It'll be interesting to see what he can do here, as it looks like Gent-Wevelgem and Paris-Roubaix are the races that suit him most.

Bastien Tronchon is a super interesting young talent. Last year, he made quite a strange decision by focusing on the Ardennes classics; he seems tailor-made for the Ardennes classics. He also seems to think so himself, as he is readjusting his focus this year.

In the week of the Strade Bianche, he got ill, missing the race. However, he seems to have recovered well, as he made the chasing group in Milan-Sanremo. He also really masters the art of positioning, which will be really important in this race. 

Not only towards the Kemmelberg, but also towards the Moeren, as echelons are pretty much inevitable with the wind conditions (insert preview). In case he makes it to a reduced bunch towards the finish line for a place of honour, the Frenchman also has the kick to ride a really nice sprint.

Frits Biesterbos is a very intriguing young talent. Last year, he finished 2nd at the World gravel Championships, after a long-range attack together with Florian Vermeersch. A result like that doesn't lie, and also got him a contract at Team Picnic PostNL. 

He started this year very nicely; he's developing himself as a spring classics rider, with a very good kick. Let that exactly be what you need for a good result in Gent-Wevelgem. The distance may be a bit much for him, but if he makes it in a reduced bunch, he could get a really nice result.

Nickolas Zukowsky may be the most unexpected pick on the list, but he could also really surprise here. He masters the positioning game and is developing really nicely, step by step. Last year, he finished his first grand tour, always a nice step up for a rider. 

Recently, he finished 14th in Paris-Nice, while he totally isn't a climber. That says a lot about his current form. He already has a really nice kick in the legs, so he could really grab a nice place of honour here.