Belgian champion Justine Ghekiere proposes to girlfriend on Mont Ventoux

Wonderful news from the camp of Justine Ghekiere. The Belgian champion from AG Insurance-Soudal has proposed to her girlfriend. On top of the Mont Ventoux, she got down on one knee for Charlotte Overbergh, who said yes.

Ghekiere has developed into an absolute cult hero in Flemish cycling over recent years. She was already showing real promise in 2023, but she broke through in 2024 by claiming the mountains jersey at the Giro d'Italia Donne. Not long afterwards, she won stage seven of the Tour de France Femmes, before helping Lotte Kopecky to the world title with a brilliant World Championships performance.

She was rewarded for that with the Kristallen Zweetdruppel — the prize for the best Belgian domestique of the year — becoming the first woman ever to receive it. In 2025, she also became Belgian champion, before going on to ride the Tour in the national tricolour and helping team leaders Kim Le Court and Sarah Gigante to outstanding results.

The climber will likely be back in France this year too. Earlier this month she completed the Giro d'Italia Women, and she's now taking a short break before the Tour de Suisse begins on 17 June. She made use of it by cycling up the Mont Ventoux with a group of friends and her partner Overbergh.

Once at the top of the Bald Mountain, Ghekiere seized the moment to propose, and Overbergh said yes. Celebrations on the Mont Ventoux! On her Instagram post, the Belgian says it's her favourite "yes" of all time. The post has been flooded with congratulations, including from current and former riders — among them Puck Pieterse, Urška Žigart, Puck Moonen, Yara Kastelijn, Marijn de Vries and Mischa Bredewold.

Author: David Bavin-Hobbs | LinkedIn | Email