THE FLANDRIEN BLOCK BEGINS: CLASSIC BRUGGE-DE PANNE PREVIEW

The back-and-forth between Italy and Belgium wraps up this Thursday with Classic Brugge-De Panne, marking the start of a three-race build-up towards the pinnacle of Belgian cycling in just two Sundays time: the Ronde van Vlaanderen.

The eighth edition of Brugge-De Panne, a UCI Women’s WorldTour event, will see Zoe Bäckstedt, Chiara Consonni, Nastya Kolesava, Soraya Paladin, Maria Martins, and Maike van der Duin take to the start line, facing terrain that contrasts sharply with the other Flandrien classics.

Chiara has rolled out from Brugge six times, with her best result being 4th place last year. This race is always a target for her, and she showed promising form with a podium in GP Oetingen two weeks ago.

“I’m really excited to start this block of Flanders Classics. It’s my goal for this first part of the season and I’ll also be really happy to sprint again because at UAE Tour, they were not my best. I’m ready also to work with the girls for the leadout, and I think we can do something great. I’m really motivated for all of my upcoming races, not only Brugge.”

As the name suggests, although not all races begin in their namesake locations (like Sunday’s Gent-Wevelgem), Thursday’s event does indeed start in Brugge and finish in De Panne. The race favours feisty, fast, and savvy riders, with a flat, pancake-like parcours and close proximity to Belgium’s wind-swept coastline.

Coined as “the great sprint classic” due to these characteristics, Brugge-De Panne hasn’t always followed a typical bunch kick script. While there are no iconic Flemish cobbles, crosswinds are the game-changer, often exploding the peloton into countless groups.

The 154 kilometre course is essentially identical to last year, starting in the Markt Square of Brugge with a 65km lead-in to a 43km circuit that is repeated twice. This circuit showcases many quintessential Belgian elements – precarious wheel-sucking cracks along the centre-line, roads running beside canals, meandering passages through settlements like Veurne and Koksijde, and, most crucially, narrow roads offering little shelter.

In previous editions, the most infamous section of the circuit has been De Moeren (the moors), a 4km dead-straight road through gale-battered agricultural land. As an interesting aside, it’s the lowest point in Belgium at over two metres below sea level. With De Moeren coming 11km from the finish on each lap, this well-known stretch has the power to tear the peloton apart and turn the race on its head, at one point or the next.

If the wind stays quiet, the race leans towards a more predictable sprint finish. Current forecasts predict a fine, cloudy day with a high of 13°C and a gentle breeze. Winds just above 10kph aren’t enough to guarantee echelons, but with a direct crosswind along De Moeren and other classic Belgian race dynamics in play, teams may still take their chances.

HOW TO FOLLOW

Classic Brugge-De Panne | 1.WWT | Thursday March 27 | 154km | 331m elevation | Start 13:00 CET – fastest finish 16:53.

Live coverage begins from 15:00 CET on Sporza, Eurosport, Discovery Plus, TNT Sports, Max, FloBikes and Amazon Prime. Stay up-to-date on X using #BruggeDePanne and #UCIWWT, and follow CANYON//SRAM zondacrypto’s social channels for team updates.