Two sprints in De Panne?
The Classic Brugge-De Panne is one of the flattest races of the year, and both the men's race on Wednesday and the women's race on Thursday feature start lists filled with sprinters. However, a question lingers in our minds: will we actually see two bunch sprints in De Panne? Logic tells us yes, but experience has shown us that the De Moeren area can provide the ideal terrain to turn the race into a crosswind battle.
Routes
Both races start in Bruges and head to the Atlantic coast and the resort town of De Panne. Here, a first pass through the finish line is made and the final circuit of 47.9 km is entered. The men's race on Wednesday includes three laps of the circuit to reach a total of 211 km, while on Thursday, the women will do two local laps and will cover a total of 163 km. Both the men's and women's races are completely flat, but the circuit includes the dreaded De Moeren, an area where the winds of the Atlantic can blow strongly and cause splits in the peloton.
Men's Race Favorites
The list of top-level sprinters for the men's race is endless: Jasper Philipsen (1200), Mark Cavendish (1000), Fabio Jakobsen (800), Arnaud Démare (1000), Dylan Groenewegen (600), Olav Kooij (800), Phil Bauhaus (800), Jordi Meeus (400), Gerben Thijssen (400), Edward Theuns (400), Caleb Ewan (800), Sam Bennett (800), Pascal Ackermann (800), Fernando Gaviria (800), Sam Welsford (200) and Cees Bol (600) lead the pack.
Women's Race Favorites
The list of participants in the women's race is also impressive: Lorena Wiebes (1200), Charlotte Kool (400), Elisa Balsamo (1000), Marta Bastianelli (800), Clara Copponi (800), Chiara Consonni (600), Soraya Paladin (600), Lonneke Uneken (400) and Sarah Roy (400) are the top favorites.
PHOTO: Belga Photo Dirk Waem / Classic Brugge–De Panne