From 2026 the Belgian cycling race known as Ghent-Wevelgem, one of the most important classic cycling races in the world, will change its name. The title, In Flanders Fields, is taken from a poem written by a Canadian soldier during the First World War, and will be accompanied by the clarification “from Middelkerke to Wevelgem”. Apart from arriving in Wevelgem, as usual, you will depart from Middelkerke, a city of around 20 thousand people facing the North Sea. However, despite its name, Gand-Wevelgem has not departed from Ghent (or Gent, as it is written in Flanders) for more than twenty years.
It often happens in cycling that a race does not start from the place where it takes its name. In recent years Milan-Sanremo started from Abbiategrasso and Pavia. Since 1977, Paris-Roubaix has started from Compiègne (almost 100 kilometers north of Paris) and has not started from Paris for more than a century. Not to mention that Tours of Italy, Spain and France are increasingly starting from very different countries.
The reason is practical and economical. Over the years the race distance has been reduced, and therefore it is necessary to leave not too far from the arrival. However, the original name was retained for reasons of history and communicative effectiveness: Milan-Sanremo and Paris-Roubaix are now brands, and “Abbiategrasso-Sanremo” does not have the same appeal.
In fact, the race previously known as Ghent-Wevelgem is also a brand. It may be less well known to non-enthusiasts (it is not one of the five so-called “classic monuments”), but it is still one of the most important classics (one-day races) and the second most important, after the Tour of Flanders, among those held in Flanders.
Ghent-Wevelgem in 2023 in Wevelgem, Belgium (Tim de Waele/Getty Images)
Half the size of Sicily, Flanders is Belgium’s northern region, and apart from its full Trappist beers and detailed Flemish paintings, it’s famous for cycling. The road is well-used and traveled, and the road – narrow, windy, with sudden “walls” (steep inclines) and often rocky sections – is perfect for cycling. Being “the second most important race in Flanders” is no small feat in cycling: it’s like being the second most important casino in Las Vegas.
Ghent-Wevelgem has been around since 1934 and like many other races, it was created by newspapers (in this case Van Antwerp newspaper) to sell more copies. He came to Wevelgem because the textile company of one of his first sponsors was there. It was a mostly flat race, but with some altitude and road surface difficulties that opened up opportunities for different results: among others, Wout van Aert and Peter Sagan, Mario Cipollini and Eddy Merckx, cyclists with very different characteristics, won it.
From 2003 to 2018 the race started from Deinze, outside Ghent; from 2019 to 2025 starting from Ypres, 80 kilometers west of Ghent. Apart from looking for narrow roads and walls (short but steep climbs, often on rocks: the most famous is the Kemmelberg) this is a sporting event with the aim of remembering the First World War and the places in Flanders where it took place. Several semi-dirt roads known as “Plugstreets” were named after the way British soldiers pronounced the name of the town of Ploegsteert.
For several years, although almost everyone simply called it Ghent-Wevelgem, the race was actually known as Gent-Wevelgem. at Flanders Fieldwhich will be its new – and this time “first” – official name.
And even in this case the reference is to the First World War. At Flanders Field it is a poem (known in Italy as In the fields of Flanders) was written in 1915 by John McCrae, Canadian poet and lieutenant colonel, after the funeral of one of his lieutenants, who died in the second battle of Ypres. The poem mentions, among other things, poppies that grow on graves, and are also a racial symbol. It starts like this:
Poppies blow in the fields of Flanders
Between the crosses, row by row,
The mark is our place; and in the sky
The birds, still singing valiantly, took flight
Barely audible over the cannon fire, below
Reasons why the race will be called In Flanders Fields – from Middelkerke to Wevelgem they are less poetic and more corrupt. Although it does not appear at all in the name of the race, Ypres pays several tens of thousands of euros per year to host the race. He decided not to do it anymore and Flanders Classics – the company that organizes this and other Flemish races (including the Tour of Flanders) – made a new agreement with Middelkerke, which is famous among other things for the Silt Middelkerke, a building (with a hotel, casino and restaurant inside) overlooking the sea. Talked about it to a Belgian newspaper This is NieuwsbladMayor Jean-Marie Dedecker called it “our Eiffel Tower.” Middelkerke will be the starting point (men’s race) and part of the name of the race until 2035, and will cost between 150 thousand and 200 thousand euros per year.
Mud in 2024 (Didier Messens/Getty Images)
It has been confirmed that the race – whose next edition will be held on March 29 2026 – will continue to pass through the most important locations, including Plugstreets and Kemmelberg, but an official route has not yet been announced.
Although they will also be called by new names, the women’s and youth races will start, for logistical reasons and the maximum distance allowed, from Wevelgem and Ypres respectively.
However, it remains to be seen whether and how much the new name will spread and establish itself. Dedecker himself, commenting on the new name of the race, said: «I am very proud of the fact that in the coming years Middelkerke will host the start of Ghent-Wevelgem».
