Gent–Wevelgem, and from 2026 officially In Flanders Fields - From Middelkerke to Wevelgem, its early-season date means riders are often tested by wind and rain, as well as several climbs, including two ascents of the steep and fully cobbled Kemmelberg. Since 2011 it is organized by Flanders Classics, which also organizes the Tour of Flanders. Since 2012 a woman's event is held on the same day as the men's race, included in the inaugural UCI Women's World Tour in 2016.
Seven riders share the record of victories. Belgians Robert Van Eenaeme, Rik Van Looy, Eddy Merckx and Tom Boonen, Italian Mario Cipollini, Slovak Peter Sagan and Dane Mads Pedersen each won the race three times. Sagan also achieved a record six podium finishes in the race. The race only had Belgian participants and was won by Gustave Van Belle. After the Katsberg, the second hill in France, the race re-enters Belgium after on French roads, with the key section of the race in Heuvelland.
The hill zone in the very south of West Flanders has three climbs, the Baneberg, Monteberg and Kemmelberg, covered within twelve kilometres of one another. In 2016 the climb was addressed by its steepest road for the first time in more than 20 years.
After the Kemmelberg, the ultimate battle between breakaways formed on the climbs and the chasing peloton unfolds on the 35-kilometre flat roads towards the finish. Despite its reputation as a sprinter's classic, Gent–Wevelgem's breakaways frequently hold off their pursuers because of the unpredictable terrain. the route actually has very few sections of cobbled roads. Only the Kemmelberg and the upper stretches of the Kasselberg are cobbled, totaling a possible maximum of two kilometres of cobbled section, which is significantly less than the other cobbled races of Flanders and Northern France. Moreover, there are no flat sections of pavé and both cobbled climbs are in excellent condition, as they are part of a busy suburban traffic network.
Course changes
The first race was in 1934 on an all-flat route from Ghent's St Pieter's Station to Wevelgem. The second edition in 1935 addressed the Flemish Ardennes in East Flanders and included the climbs of Kwaremont, Kluisberg and Tiegemberg. From 1936 to 1939 the race ran from Ghent to Kortrijk, followed by local laps, including the Lauwberg as the main difficulty.
thumb|right|Since 1945, the hills in [[Heuvelland, including Kemmelberg and Rodeberg (pictured) are the heart of the finale.]]
After World War II, Gent–Wevelgem restyled with a new route across the Flemish Ardennes and the Heuvelland region. In the context of the Centenary of the outbreak of World War I, the peloton crosses the city centre and leaves it passing under the iconic Menin Gate, arguably the most famous Flanders Fields memorial, before proceeding on the final run-in to the finish in Wevelgem.
The 2017 race saw the addition of three so-called Plugstreets in Ploegsteert Wood, semi-paved gravel roads at the Ploegsteert Memorial to the Missing, to commemorate the Christmas truce of 1914.