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but the peloton always kept them within reach
A powerful Tim Declercq and his colleagues made sure the breakaway never got too far
Everyone was counting down to the much-anticipated bunch sprint
Multiple crashes in the final kilometers disrupted the sprint and prevented a fair showdown
Edward Theuns was caught up in one of the crashes
Further examinations will determine the extent of his injuries
surprising the other sprinters with a long sprint from far out
The hesitation behind gave him an extra gap
Jonathan Milan chased hard but just ran out of road
From the start of the day we helped control the race
so it’s a not super good to not give [the team] a victory
I was not expecting someone to come from behind so early at 400m to go
It was difficult to catch him but I did my best
one of the most dangerous ones I have done
I don’t feel the crashes from Tirreno anymore
The Classic Brugge-De Panne delivered the high-speed sprint finale everyone expected
The Lidl-Trek team rode strongly throughout the race
setting up Elisa Balsamo for a hard-fought third place behin..
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'Really dangerous and fast': 5 crashes in 5km cause carnage at Brugge-De Panne before Giro d'Italia favorites faced-off in Catalunya summit finish
UAE Emirates-XRG doubled up Wednesday with two wildly different sprint victories from <a href="https://velo.outsideonline.com/tag/juan-molano/" data-afl-p="0">Juan Sebastián Molano</a> at Brugge-De Panne and <a href="https://velo.outsideonline.com/tag/juan-ayuso/" data-afl-p="0">Juan Ayuso</a> at the Volta a Catalunya
In Belgium, five separate pile-ups in the final five kilometers caused carnage at <a href="https://velo.outsideonline.com/tag/classic-brugge-de-panne/" data-afl-p="0">Brugge-de Panne</a> and tilted the spotlight away from what was being billed “The Super Bowl of the Sprinters.&#8221;
UAE Emirates-XRG’s rogue fast-man Molano blazed to victory with a long surge after a disaster finale left European champion Tim Merlier (Soudal Quick Step) among dozens of big-name favorites on the tarmac or out of position
Merlier’s sprint rival Jonathan Milan (Lidl-Trek) finished second after he was counting his luck to be one of the few big names who kept it upright in a complex run-in littered with road furniture and pinch points
Only minutes later at the <a href="https://velo.outsideonline.com/tag/volta-a-catalunya/" data-afl-p="0">Volta a Catalunya</a>, UAE Emirates&#8217; on-form super-climber Ayuso outkicked uphill sprint specialist <a href="https://velo.outsideonline.com/tag/primoz-roglic/" data-afl-p="0">Primož Roglič</a> (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) for a muscle-flexing mountaintop victory ahead of their showdown at the Giro d&#8217;Italia
The win puts the 22-year-old Spanish sensation into the leader&#8217;s jersey
Ayuso is now even more prolific than his teammate you-know-who
Brugge-De Panne descended into chaos in the final 10 minutes of racing Wednesday as riders were sent skittling in consecutive crashes
This final is really really dangerous and fast,&#8221; winner Molano said at the line
I was in a good position after the small road
&#8220;I looked back and nobody was following
so I went full gas to the final,&#8221; he said
UAE Emirates-XRG now counts an incredible 21 victories on its palmarès this season
including a first from Molano and fifth from Ayuso
Brugge-De Panne: the world championships for sprinters
this race deserves the world title for the most dangerous final
(Although riders are also to blame, forced by the final) <a href="https://t.co/LhaDGfioVZ" data-afl-p="0">pic.twitter.com/LhaDGfioVZ</a>
— Jonas Creteur (@jonas_creteur) <a href="https://twitter.com/jonas_creteur/status/1904927390121243027?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" data-afl-p="0">March 26, 2025</a>
Olav Kooij (Visma-Lease a Bike) and Arnaud De Lie (Lotto) were among the other alpha sprinters to miss their chances in the De Panne one-dayer
Tour de France dominator Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin Deceuninck) was also missing from the front group after less than 20 riders made it to the bunch gallop
and that’s why they fell at the front,” Philipsen said
“I was just behind them and stayed upright
No serious injuries were noted in the direct aftermath of Brugge-De Panne
though many riders were seen slowly pedaling to the line
one touched me in the leg,&#8221; Molano said
&#8220;It’s really dangerous this race.&#8221;
What’s it like to be an American cyclist living in France
Watch to get professional road cyclist Joe Dombrowski’s view
60 contestants from 14 different countries gathered in the coastal town of De Panne
Belgium on Sunday for a chance to be crowned the best seagull imitator at the 5th European Gull Screeching Championship
The competition aims to create a "positive image" of the "essential" coastal birds
who are often despised by the public for their intrusive behavior
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<a href="https://www.scoresandstats.com">Scores and Stats</a> &raquo; <a href="https://www.scoresandstats.com/blog/">Blog</a> &raquo; 2025 Classic Brugge-De Panne Odds
<a href="https://www.scoresandstats.com/author/sas-rickrockwell/">Rick Rockwell</a>
<a href="https://www.scoresandstats.com/blog-category/cycling/">Cycling</a>
Handicapping MembershipFor More Cycling Picks
On Wednesday, March 26, the <a href="https://www.scoresandstats.com/blog-category/cycling/">cycling</a> world turns its attention back to Belgium for the 49th edition of the Classic Brugge-De Panne race
this race has been an annual spring tradition
to accommodate the sport’s evolving landscape
the Classic Brugge-De Pann switched spots with Dwars door Vlanderen on the calendar to become a Spring Classics race instead of its original three-day event
it also added a women’s race on the following day
the race begins in Brugge and finishes in De Panne
you won’t see some of the sport’s rock stars like Tadej Pogacar or Jonas Vingegaard
this race is all about the fastest men of the peloton
The Brugge showcases some of the best sprinters in cycling like the two-time defending champ Jasper Philipsen
who aims to become just the second cyclist to have ever won three in a row
the competition will be fierce as Tim Merlier
and Dylan Groenewegen are all expected to compete in this Belgian sprint race
With that said, let’s take a look at the latest cycling odds, courtesy of the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.scoresandstats.com/sportsbook-reviews/">top sports betting sites</a>
and make our Classic Brugge-De Panne predictions
you will have to head over to FloBikes to stream the 2025 Classic Brugge-De Panne race
This event has a local start time of 12:30pm
This Belgian race spans 195+km throughout the region of West Flanders with its traditional start in Brugge
the peloton will cross through the De Moeren plains
head into Veurne and then complete multiple circuits in De Panne before sprinting on a narrow road with a few final turns prior to the finishing line
Check out the latest Classic Brugge-De Panne odds:
As you can see from the cycling odds above
there are four pre-race favorites and then the odds drop off a steep cliff from +700 to +2500 and higher
Tim Merlier is the odds-on favorite to win this event
but he’s followed closely by Jonathan Milan
Philipsen and Olav Kooij are right in their slipstream
Let’s take a look at the odds-on favorites for the 49th edition of the Classic Brugge-De Panne:
Tim Merlier has been arguable the best sprinter in the sport over the first few months of the 2025 season
He kicked off the year with two stage wins and a second in the green jersey competition for the AlUla Tour
Merlier then followed that up with two more wins in the UAE Tour and a third for the sprint competition
But his success didn’t end there. The Beligan went out and took the first two stages of <a href="https://www.scoresandstats.com/blog/paris-nice-odds-predictions/">Paris-Nice</a> as well
With six wins already in 2025, Merlier has definitely been at the top of the peloton when it comes to speed. However, don’t ask the 32-year-old if he thinks that he’s <a href="https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/other/tim-merlier-its-not-up-to-me-to-say-im-the-best-sprinter-in-the-world/ar-AA1AzdMb" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the best sprinter</a>:
“It’s not up to me to say things like this
It’s up to you guys to say it or don’t say it
I just try to win as much as possible and to take my opportunities.”
It’s easy to see why Merlier is the odds-on favorite to win this race
Many of the best handicappers are also tabbing the Soudal Quick-Step cyclist to be the favorite in other races coming up within the next few weeks like Gent-Wevelgem and Ronde van Vlaanderen
there’s still value to be found with the rider who’s outsprinting the field on a consistent basis
Merlier finished on the podium all three times
If there’s one man who has been as impressive as Merlier this season so far
The 24-year-old has matched Merlier’s six wins on the year but has also won two green jersey competitions as well
Milan started off the year with two stage wins and a second-place result for the green jersey competition at the Volta a la Communitat Valenciana in early February
He followed that up with two more victories
and a points classification victory at the UAE Tour just two weeks later
The Italian then shook up the field in the <a href="https://www.scoresandstats.com/blog/tirreno-adriatico-odds-predictions/">Tirreno-Adriatico</a> with a 5th in the opening time trial
and a first in the green jersey competition
Although he didn’t perform as well in the <a href="https://www.scoresandstats.com/blog/milan-san-remo-odds-predictions/">Milan-San Remo</a> last weekend
the Lidl-Trek sprinter is clearly on par with Merlier as the men to beat in Belgium on Wednesday
Milan will also have to shake off past failures in this race
Jasper Philipsen enters this race having won the last two years in a row
He’s not only chasing after Merlier and Milan
but Philipsen is also chasing after history to become just the second rider to have ever won three Classic Brugge-De Panne races in a row
The Alpecin-Deceuninck sprinter has had modest success this season so far
He started off the year with two Top 3 stage finishes at the UAE Tour
his legs weren’t up to the level of other sprinters
Philipsen then came up short at <a href="https://www.scoresandstats.com/blog/omloop-het-nieuwsblad-odds-predictions/">Omloop Het Nieuwsblad</a> after finishing third overall
the Belgian sprinter went out and won Kuurne-Burssel-Kuurne and beat some of the top sprinters like Kooij
Philipsen is coming off a crash at Nokere Koerse on March 19
it will be interesting to see how his form is for Brugge
Philipsen has never finished off the podium
I really like the value that Philipsen offers
and team to compete with anyone in this race
Will we see a third win in a row for Philipsen
Of all the “sprinters” I really like what I’ve seen from Olav Kooij
It seems that the 23-year-old is quickly evolving into the upper echelon of fast men of the sport
Kooij won two stages and finished second in the green jersey competition at the Tour of Oman in February
He bailed on the UAE Tour before finishing 2nd to Philipsen in the Kuurne-Brussel-Kurrne at the start of March
Kooij went into Tirreno-Adriatico to help out teammates like Simon Yates
he showed off his speed with a tough Stage 4 win and two other Top 5 finishes
This resulted in a third-place finish for the green jersey
The Dutch sprinter made <a href="https://www.idlprocycling.com/cycling/visma-lease-a-bike-knows-where-to-position-kooij-in-milan-sanremo-it-makes-all-the-difference" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the following comments</a> about the start of his season:
&#8220;I am satisfied with my start to the season
After a good start in Oman I had a small setback
but I recovered strongly with my second place in Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne
The goal for Tirreno was to win a stage and I succeeded
When a sprinter is riding with full confidence
they are very dangerous and a threat to win any sprint stage
It’s not hard to imagine the Team Visma-Lease a Bike sprinter picking up the win in De Panne on Wednesday
The following cyclists offer betting value based on their current Classic Brugge-De Panne odds
Team Jayco AlUla sprinter Dylan Groenewegen has yet to win this year so far
he did pick up two second-place results in the AlUla Tour
But that was his best highlights of the season to date
Groenewegen won the Classic Brugge-De Panne in 2019
the Dutch rider will have the support of his team to try and win in De Panne this week
Groenewegen might not be at the top of the sprint hierarchy
but he’s still capable of pulling off a sprint win under the right circumstances
Australia’s Sam Welsford hasn’t competed in a month since the UAE Tour
It’s a bit surprising considering how great he looked at the start of the season
Welsford came out on fire with three wins in Australian cycling races, and then three stage wins along with the green jersey in the <a href="https://www.scoresandstats.com/blog/tour-down-under-odds-predictions/">Tour Down Under</a>
Speaking of his early success this year, Welsford <a href="https://www.redbull.com/ng-en/sam-welsford-red-bull-bora-hansgrohe-cycling-career-portrait" target="_blank" rel="noopener">shared his ambitions</a> for the rest of the season:
“That’s something I want to build on this season and really use that confidence in bigger races
the WorldTour sprint races when there’s 10 of the best there and show you can be competitive.”
which was a step down from his best result of 18th in 2023
If Red Bull Bora can get their lead-out train in position in the final two km
then I think Welsford has a strong chance at racing for the win; provided that his speed is at least as good as the Tour Down Under
The Italian cyclist seems to be improving with each race he enters
The 27-year-old is showing more speed and hanging with some of the best sprinters in the sport today
has some pundits thinking that Alberto Dainese could be a sleeper at Brugge this week
I need to see more from the Italian before thinking he will win
But if you are to go with what some of the so-called cycling experts are saying
then Dainese is a decent longshot bet in Belgium on Wednesday
I like Arnaud De Lie (+6600) as a more ideal longshot bet than Dainese
I also like him better than Groenewegen as well
The 23-year-old has one win on the year as that came in the Tour du Gard in February
He did have three other Top 4 results following that race
This will mark his second appearance in Brugge
where the Lotto sprinter finished 8th in 2022
The Belgian sprinter has battled illness over the last month
which resulted in his team pulling him from Milan-San Remo last weekend
de Lie is expected to be healthy enough to take the starting line in Brugge on Wednesday
de Lie finished as the Belgian road race champion and nearly double-digit wins
he has the form and speed to pull off the upset in his home country this week
Don’t blink or you might miss the finish to this race
With the sport’s top sprinters all aiming to add this prestigious sprint race to their resume
it’s going to be a thrilling finish in De Panne
I think we’ll get an epic battle between Merlier
I wouldn’t dismiss de Lie’s chances to win as well
But he needs to prove his form and health before we can bet with confidence
I would love to see Welsford upstage the other fast men as the Australian seems to be overlooked when it comes to the top of the sprint pecking order
a month away from races has me slightly hesitant to take him over Merlier
I don’t ever count out Philipsen when it comes to a sprint
but I need to see that he’s recovered from his crash before betting with conviction on the two-time winner in this race
I want Kooij to win and I think he has a real shot
Merlier and Milan have been so impressive this year
that it’s hard to pick against either of them
I think that Milan and his Lidl-Trek squad have the best lead-out train at this point of the season
I’m taking the Italian to pick up his first win at the Classic Brugge-De Panne and to take the mantle as the top sprinter as we head into the spring season
Belgian’s Eric Vanderaerden holds the record for the most all-time wins with five
There are a handful of cyclists who have won two races apiece including the back-to-back winner in Kasper Philipsen
It should come as no surprise that Belgium holds the record with 24 victories
while the Netherlands is second with nine wins
The following is a list of the recent Classic Brugge-De Panne winners:
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Classic Brugge-De Panne Women 2025 overviewDateMarch 27, 2024Start locationBruggeFinish locationDe PanneDistance153.7kmPrevious edition<a href="https://www.cyclingnews.com/races/classic-brugge-de-panne-women-2024/" data-before-rewrite-localise="https://www.cyclingnews.com/races/classic-brugge-de-panne-women-2024/">2024 Classic Brugge-De Panne Women</a>Previous winnerElisa Balsamo (Ita) Lidl-Trek
The <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.cyclingnews.com/classic-brugge-de-panne-women/" data-before-rewrite-localise="https://www.cyclingnews.com/classic-brugge-de-panne-women/">Classic Brugge-De Panne Women</a> returns for an eighth edition in 2025
the Women's WorldTour one-day race scheduled for March 27
The cobbled Classic has become a showcase for top sprinters with its Flemish profile.&nbsp;
The men's event began in 1977 as a three-day stage race
It then added the Women&rsquo;s WorldTour race in 2018
and that same year transformed the men&rsquo;s contest to a one-day race as well
The two races continue on back-to-back mid-week dates
Classic Brugge-De Panne Women marks a series of three big one-day races in Belgium, leading to Gent-Wevelgem and Tour of Flanders. It is the fifth event of the S<a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.cyclingnews.com/spring-classics/" data-before-rewrite-localise="https://www.cyclingnews.com/spring-classics/">pring Classics</a>
following directly after the inaugural Milano-San Remo Donne
<a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.cyclingnews.com/riders/elisa-balsamo/" data-before-rewrite-localise="https://www.cyclingnews.com/riders/elisa-balsamo/">Elisa Balsamo</a> (Lidl-Trek) won the race for a second time in 2024
taking the sprint ahead of Charlotte Kool (DSM-Firmenich Post NL) and Daria Pikulik (Human Powered Health)
as the year before Pfeiffer Georgi (Team DSM) carried a 1:10 margin across the line to a chase group of five riders
2025 route for Classic Brugge-De Panne Women(Image credit: Golazo)Classic Brugge-De Panne returns with a traditional start from Markt Brugge and the finish circuits in De Panne
flat roads prevail with no categorised climbs for the 153.7km battle of sprinters.&nbsp;
Nienke Veenhoven sprinted to a sixth-place finish in the Classic Brugge – De Panne
The 21-year-old rider was well-positioned by her teammates in the final phase
after which she delivered a strong sprint in a competitive field
Lorena Wiebes proved to be the strongest in the streets of De Panne
In the eighth edition of the Belgian spring classic
it quickly became clear that the race would end in a sprint
a large peloton headed toward the center of De Panne
the yellow-and-black team positioned themselves well at the front
and Veenhoven managed to settle in at the front as well
the young Dutch rider then powered her way to a strong sixth-place finish
reflects team manager Jos van Emden with satisfaction
she’s been getting better at mixing it up in the sprinting chaos
That she was also up there today is a positive sign
there are still areas we can improve together.”
Veenhoven has formed a sprinting duo with Martina Fidanza
and Van Emden sees that this collaboration is working out excellently
The collaboration between her and Nienke is going really well
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The Lidl-Trek women were in high spirits this morning on the start podium in Brugge
Two riders eventually found the courage to attack
18-year-old Cat Ferguson launched a bold solo move
the peloton had one clear goal: a bunch sprint
Ferguson’s lead never stretched beyond 30 seconds
A massive crash threatened to disrupt the finale
but the top sprinters managed to avoid the chaos
this time all the big names were in position to contest the sprint
The Lidl-Trek lead-out train executed their plan to perfection
with Clara Copponi delivering Elisa Balsamo into prime position
she had to settle for third place behind Lorena Wiebes and Chiara Consonni
They did an amazing job with a perfect lead-out
and the first two riders were simply stronger
but I’m really happy with the team’s performance
I knew the finish well and wasn’t worried about crashing because we stayed perfectly positioned at the front the whole time
Wiebes is incredibly strong and she deserves the win
The E3 Saxo Classic delivered the promised spectacle
with action from start to finish and a well-earned podium spot for Mads Pedersen after a fantastic race
'This hurts my heart': Officials vow to investigate hazardous final after 'Super Bowl of the Sprinters' obliterated by crashes and heavy injuries
Headbutts, crashes, yellow cards, injuries, repentant race directors – Wednesday&#8217;s wildly controversial edition of <a href="https://velo.outsideonline.com/tag/classic-brugge-de-panne/" data-afl-p="0">Brugge-De Panne</a> had it all
European champion Tim Merlier (Soudal Quick-Step) required stitches, Lionel Taminiaux (Lotto) was rushed to hospital with a collapsed lung and broken rib, and Giro d’Italia hopeful Olav Kooij (Visma-Lease a Bike) was left with heavy abrasions after at least four crashes <a href="https://velo.outsideonline.com/road/road-racing/crash-carnage-overshadows-molano-victory-at-brugge-de-panne/" data-afl-p="0">decimated the finish</a> of Wednesday’s one-dayer
Sprint contenders Jonathan Milan (Lidl-Trek)
and race-winner Juan Molano (UAE Emirates-XRG) were lucky to keep it upright through five kilometers of pure carnage
rather than leaving the race with broken bones or winner&#8217;s trophies
Milan and Kristoff took home yellow cards and 500 CHF fines
Race footage shows the strapping speedsters exchanging headbutts and shoulder barges as they blasted toward the line in the reduced bunch
The race jury later sanctioned them both for “obstruction by a rider or vehicle in order to prevent or delay the movement of another rider or vehicle.”
Michael Swartzmann (Israel-Premier Tech) was also hit with yellow for “decelerating during a sprint and endangering other riders.”
<a href="https://t.co/up14BC1T0m" data-afl-p="0">pic.twitter.com/up14BC1T0m</a>
— Robje (@PutzeysRobbe) <a href="https://twitter.com/PutzeysRobbe/status/1904929744186908711?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" data-afl-p="0">March 26, 2025</a>
Those are only the headlines from a breathless
brutal final of a race that had been celebrated as &#8220;The Super Bowl of the Sprinters.&#8221;
Questions are now being asked about the suitability of the extra-sensory urban run toward the line in central De Panne
A series of narrowings and pinch-points complicated a fast
frenetic urban final already littered with road furniture and tight turns
&#8220;The parcours was pretty dangerous with this run-in to the final kilometer,&#8221; second-place finisher Milan said
&#8220;From three lines it was going in one
and then this twisty bit a few hundred meters to go
“This makes everything a bit nervous and dangerous because
Everyone wants to win,&#8221; Milan said after the race
<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ClassicBruggeDePanne?src=hash&#038;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" data-afl-p="0">#ClassicBruggeDePanne</a>
Terrible caída en la aproximación al último quilómetro de la carrera con Olav Kooij (Team Visma Lease a Bike) y Tim Merlier (Soudal-Quick Step) <a href="https://t.co/V3mBZUy6wX" data-afl-p="0">pic.twitter.com/V3mBZUy6wX</a>
— Avituallamiento Ciclista (@EVTMO_) <a href="https://twitter.com/EVTMO_/status/1904929259279315193?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" data-afl-p="0">March 26, 2025</a>
While the headbutts and barges were out of race organizers’ control
The shocking scenes Wednesday come amid the UCI’s <a href="https://velo.outsideonline.com/road/road-racing/sticky-bottle-dqs-yellow-card-carnage-uci-comes-out-swinging/" data-afl-p="0">push to reduce racing risk</a> with its SafeR project
This season has <a href="https://velo.outsideonline.com/road/road-racing/paris-nice-straddling-the-line-between-spectacle-and-safety/" data-afl-p="0">already been overshadowed</a> by <a href="https://velo.outsideonline.com/news/chaos-at-etoile-de-besseges-as-car-drives-onto-race-route-van-gils-forced-to-abandon/" data-afl-p="0">safety shocks at Etoile de Bessèges</a> and Paris-Nice
and closer scrutiny of route design are all part of the governing body’s SafeR initiative
&#8220;The final is dangerous, and officials should look at this,&#8221; Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe sprinter Sam Welsford told <a href="https://sporza.be/nl/2025/03/26/te-nerveus-peloton-of-te-gevaarlijke-finale-in-de-panne-renners-na-chaos-er-moet-iets-veranderen-aan-dit-parcours~1743004362321/" data-afl-p="0">Sporza</a>
but there has to be something that can be changed on the course.&#8221;
Race organizer Bruno Dequeecker will be praying for a safe finale to the women’s race
The Women&#8217;s WorldTour classic plays out Thursday over the same finale as the men
&#8220;This hurts my heart,&#8221; Dequeecker told Sporza
 &#8220;The peloton has ridden the course three times before the finish
&#8220;The course has been unchanged for years and is controlled by the UCI,&#8221; Dequeecker said
&#8220;This is unfortunate &#8230; The riders clearly all wanted to give everything to win
Dequeecker vowed improvements will be made for future editions of his top-tier men’s and women’s races
Soudal Quick-Step sport director Wilfried Peeters suggested to <a href="https://www.wielerflits.be/nieuws/roep-om-drastische-wijziging-classic-brugge-de-panne-ze-moeten-kijken-naar-finish-buiten-het-centrum/" data-afl-p="0">Wielerflits</a> that moving the finish outside of the city center was the best option
&#8220;We will have to investigate that narrowing in the road for the next edition
I can&#8217;t say much about that now,&#8221; organizer Dequeecker told Sporza
&#8220;We don&#8217;t organize a race to have crashes,&#8221; Dequeecker continued
&#8220;It&#8217;s the riders who make the race
we&#8217;ll have to see how it can be made safer
to ensure that there is less chance of crashes.&#8221;
The peloton ready to start Classic-Brugge De Panne
The breakaway at Classic Brugge-De Panne 2025; Ant&oacute;nio Morgado (UAE Team Emirates-XRG)
Victor Vercouillie (Team Flanders - Baloise)
Hartthijs de Vries (Unibet Tietema Rockets)
Hartthijs de Vries powers toward the finish
Juan Sebastian Molano wins Classic-Brugge De Panne 2025
Madis Mihkels takes third place in final sprint
<a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.cyclingnews.com/riders/jonathan-milan/" data-before-rewrite-localise="https://www.cyclingnews.com/riders/jonathan-milan/">Jonathan Milan</a> (Lidl-Trek) closed down the gap but couldn't quite get past before the line and had to settle for second
Estonian Madis Mihkels sprinted in for third
I looked at 500 meters and took the corner really
There were three massive crashes in the final 4km
and Molano narrowly avoided hitting the tarmac
The crashes were a huge blow for many of the top sprinters
Dylan Groenwegen (Jayco-AlUla) and Sam Welsford (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) among the survivors who weren't quick enough to react when Molano launched his move
Others saw the rest of their Spring Classics campaign potentially impacted including Arnaud De Lie (Lotto)
Alexander Kristoff (Uno-X Mobility) and Olav Kooij (Visma-Lease a Bike)
There was sunshine and only a light breeze for the start of the 195.6-kilometre Classic Brugge-De Panne
Ant&oacute;nio Morgado (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) was the highest-profile rider to make the day's early breakaway
going clear in the opening kilometres with Victor Vercouillie (Team Flanders - Baloise)
Joren Bloem and Hartthijs de Vries (Unibet Tietema Rockets)
Soudal-Quickstep for Tim Merlier and Visma-Lease a Bike for Olav Kooij
kept the escapees to a maximum gap of 2:30 before entering the three 42.9km closing circuits
the bunch chipped away at the breakaway's advantage
bringing it under the two-minute mark with 120km to go
The gap continued to fall on the penultimate lap
with the peloton closing to almost one minute behind the well-oiled paceline of the breakaway with 50km to go
A crash from Daniel Skerl (Bahrain Victorious) hardly slowed the peloton
which came through the line at the bell with a 1:10 gap to close to the five escapees
it kept bouncing around that bark as Morgado motivated his breakaway companions to keep working
and Lidl-Trek were equally in it for Milan
driving the pace to bring the breakaway back
the five leaders continued to cooperate and hold off the chasers
Then Jayco-AlUla came through for Dylan Groenewegen along with Israel-Premier Tech
bringing the gap down to 38 seconds with 26km remaining
and as Jayco-AlUla stepped off the gas and no other team came through
the gap went out to 45 seconds a kilometre later
Soudal-Quickstep came back to the front and upped the pace
but the five breakaway riders were still cooperating and holding 33 seconds until De Vries attacked with 15km remaining
went back to the other three and kept pulling
Bloem was under no obligation to do any further work with a teammate up the road
leaving Morgado to try to close the gap with just Vercouillie and Lambrecht
While De Vries maintained his lead on the peloton and even extended it
the chasers were steadily losing ground on the long
With 10km still to race and wind not too much of a factor
Soudal-Quickstep led the chase and could see the four pursuers ahead and De Vries off in the distance
De Vries powered on toward the finish line
holding 15 seconds with 5km to go and a technical run-in in the favour of a solo rider
A crash in the peloton took out Tudor's man Alberto Dainese and numerous other riders
Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe led the peloton for Sam Welsford heading into the final 4km
bringing De Vries' advantage to just 10 seconds before another crash involving three Intermarch&eacute;-Wanty riders further disrupted proceedings
De Vries was finally reeled in with 2.4km to go appearing to have a puncture
and as the bunch swept past another massive crash took down riders from Cofidis
including Arnaud De Lie and Arnaud D&eacute;mare
Picnic-PostNl stepped off the gas over concerns for Fabio Jakobsen
and another massive crash threw the entire finale into utter chaos
Sebastian Molano jumped with 400 metres to go ahead of a very reduced peloton
but Milan was still there and used his massive power to draw alongside for a photo finish
The jury soon ruled that Molano was the winner
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</a>new video loaded: Europeans Screech Off at Belgium’s Sea Gull Imitation Championship
transcriptBackbars0:00/2:09-2:09transcript
Anna.” “I practiced with TikTok and I practiced in front of the mirror and in front of the sea gulls.” “Sea gulls are free — fly with the dream and the sea gull
Have a character very strong.” “People think sea gulls are annoying things
And they are very protective.” “There’s something wrong with people thinking about sea gulls because some people hate them
We need some more sympathy for the sea gulls.”
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All of the broadcast information for the men's and women's editions of the Belgian classic this week
with all the details here on live streams and TV channels wherever you are in the world
&#9658; Free stream: <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://sporza.be/nl/programmagids/" data-url="https://sporza.be/nl/programmagids/" target="_blank" referrerpolicy="no-referrer-when-downgrade" data-hl-processed="none">Sporza</a>
The spring Classics are back this week with the Classic Brugge-De Panne and Classic Brugge-De Panne Women
An all-star cast of men's and women's racers will be heading to Flanders for the two races
a vital stopping point on the road to the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix
Watch for the likes of Lorena Wiebes (SD Worx-Protime)
Tim Merlier (Soudal-QuickStep) and Charlotte Kool (Picnic-PostNL) on a sprinter-friendly course between Brugge and De Panne
so read on for all the details on how to watch the Classic Brugge-De Panne online
Fans in the UK can watch the Classic Brugge-De Panne on TNT Sports and Discovery+.&nbsp;
the Discovery+ streaming platform has you covered in both cases
Right now you can watch cycling on Max with the 'basic' plan of $9.99 a month
but not for long &ndash; from April it's $15.99 a month.&nbsp;
which has pretty much every race you could wish to want for Canadian viewers
costs $39.99 a month or $203.88 for the year.&nbsp;
<a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://app.staylive.io/cycling/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow" data-url="https://app.staylive.io/cycling/" referrerpolicy="no-referrer-when-downgrade" data-hl-processed="none">Staylive</a> has coverage of the Classic Brugge-De Panne for fans in Australia and New Zealand
There will be highlights of the women's race but it won't be shown live.&nbsp;
Staylive is a cycling streaming distribution service with a select number of races available for AU$5.99 / NZ$9.99 a month.&nbsp;
You can watch the Classic Brugge-De Panne for free
Flemish public broadcaster VRT has the rights, along with many of the Spring Classics, with coverage on VRT1 on TV, the VRT Max streaming platform, and also the web player on the <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://sporza.be/nl/programmagids/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow" data-url="https://sporza.be/nl/programmagids/" referrerpolicy="no-referrer-when-downgrade" data-hl-processed="none">Sporza website</a>.&nbsp;
If you're based in Belgium and are currently travelling outside the country
then you can still get your access by using a VPN &ndash; more on that below
If you're outside your usual country when the Classic Brugge-De Panne is on
you might think you can&rsquo;t watch the race due to the geo-restrictions most streaming platforms impose
But a VPN is a simple and safe way around this.&nbsp;
A Virtual Private Network is a piece of software that sets your IP address to make your device appear to be in any country in the world
Provided it complies with your broadcaster&rsquo;s T&amp;Cs
you can use a VPN to unblock your usual streaming services from anywhere in the world
it helps with playback speeds and is a huge boost for your general internet security.&nbsp;
TechRadar love NordVPN&rsquo;s super speedy connections
trustworthy security and the fact it works with Android
24/7 support and it's currently available for a knockdown price
Broadcast start: 3.15pm CET (local) / 2.15pm GMT (UK) / 10.15am ET (US) / 1.15am AEDT (Aus)
Broadcast end: 5.45pm CET (local) / 4.45m GMT (UK) / 12.45pm ET (US) / 3.45am AEDT (Aus)
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Dani has reported from the world's top races
She has interviewed many of the sport's biggest stars
and her favourite races are the Giro d'Italia
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Piet Allegaert and Milan Fretin (Cofidis) were victims of crashes in the finale of Classic Brugge-De Panne
Jasper Philipsen said he avoided crashing but was caught behind one and then was out of contention
dozen of riders scraped up in series of wrecks
The <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.cyclingnews.com/classic-brugge-de-panne/" data-before-rewrite-localise="https://www.cyclingnews.com/classic-brugge-de-panne/">Classic Brugge-De Panne</a> was disrupted by a shocking series of crashes inside the final five kilometres
injuring numerous riders including pre-race favourite
European champion Tim Merlier (Soudal-Quickstep)
Merlier's team blamed the wrecks on the lack of wind to break up a peloton filled with the sport's top sprinters and nearly every team in the fight in addition to narrow
twisting roads before the finish line in De Panne
Second-placed <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.cyclingnews.com/races/classic-brugge-de-panne-2025/elite-men/results/" data-before-rewrite-localise="https://www.cyclingnews.com/races/classic-brugge-de-panne-2025/elite-men/results/">Jonathan Milan (Lidl-Trek) survived to finish millimetres behind winner Juan Sebastian Molano (UAE Team Emirates)</a>
describing the finish: "The parcours was pretty dangerous with this run-in to the final kilometre - from three lines it was going in one
This makes everything a bit nervous and dangerous because
everyone wants to stay in the front - everyone wants to win."
Sports director for Soudal-Quickstep Iljo Keisse
blamed the lack of wind for not breaking up the peloton before the finish
"It would have been better with wind in De Moeren
then everything would have been broken up there," Keisse said according to Sporza.be
"Then you also sprint with a smaller group
The first crash came just outside 5km to go when the course turned left off a three-lane road onto a one-lane road while the peloton was in full flight in pursuit of the breakaway
Lindsay De Vylder (Flanders Baloise) appeared to be the worst affected
The second came when three Intermarch&eacute;-Wanty riders crashed on a straightaway
as riders were trying to move up on the path alongside the roadway
one rider from Cofidis dropped back onto the tarmac
touching wheels with the rider ahead of him and fell
including Arnaud D&eacute;mare (Ark&eacute;a-B&amp;B Hotels)
It was the final crash that ruined Tim Merlier's race
and it came as the race was entering a narrowing of the roadway and riders bumped into each other
causing a crash that ricocheted through the bunch and into Merlier
"All you heard on the race radio was crash
"He tried to move up because he was a bit out of position
"He immediately asked for the doctor on the radio
and he is now in the bus with the doctor for first aid."
Merlier suffered a deep wound to his knee and could be out of Gent-Wevelgem this weekend
Keisse knew to warn the riders about the dangerous finale
but there haven't been many serious incidents in the race in recent years because the wind usually splits up the peloton
I said: 'It is so dangerous that usually nothing happens'
"Four crashes in 2.5 km is a bit too much..
Sam Welsford (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) made it through unscathed but still urged organisers to examine the course more closely
and they should look at this," Welsford said to Sporza
but there has to be something that can be changed on the course."
Alpecin-Deceuninck lead-out man Jonas Rickaert lost his sprinter Jasper Philipsen to heavy braking because of one of the crashes
"When you go to the last 800 meters with 60 fairly fresh men and it becomes one car wide
then you know it's going to be super hectic," Rickaert said
"Everyone wants to drop their sprinter off there
but maybe they should look for a better and safer option
You saw today that it is really dangerous."
the organiser of the Classic Brugge-De Panne was in dismay at the chaos
The peloton has completed the course three times before the finish
"We will have to sit down with the riders to see how it can be made safer
"The course has been unchanged for years and is controlled by the UCI
The riders clearly all wanted to give everything to win
Dequeecker plans to look into changes to make the finish safe
"We will have to evaluate that narrowing for the next edition
"The weather conditions - sun and little wind - were perfect for the spectators
there is more fragmentation and no pack sprinting to the finish line
we'll have to sit together to see how it can be made safer
Or at least: to ensure that there is less chance of crashes."
#ClassicBruggeDePanne :flag-be: Terrible ca&iacute;da en la aproximaci&oacute;n al &uacute;ltimo quil&oacute;metro de la carrera con Olav Kooij :flag-nl: (Team Visma Lease a Bike) y Tim Merlier :flag-be: (Soudal-Quick Step) pic.twitter.com/V3mBZUy6wX<a href="https://twitter.com/EVTMO_/status/1904929259279315193" data-url="https://twitter.com/EVTMO_/status/1904929259279315193" target="_blank" referrerpolicy="no-referrer-when-downgrade" data-hl-processed="none">March 26, 2025</a>
she coordinates coverage for North American events and global news
As former elite-level road racer who dabbled in cyclo-cross and track
Laura has a passion for all three disciplines
When not working she likes to go camping and explore lesser traveled roads
UCI governance and performing data analysis
Theuns and Fretin ruled out of Gent-Wevelgem after getting caught up in the carnage
The final kilometres of the men's <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.cyclingnews.com/classic-brugge-de-panne/" data-before-rewrite-localise="https://www.cyclingnews.com/classic-brugge-de-panne/">Classic Brugge-De Panne</a> took many victims as numerous crashes rippled through the peloton
Now, Bahrain Victorious have announced that their rider <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.cyclingnews.com/riders/nikias-arndt/" data-before-rewrite-localise="https://www.cyclingnews.com/riders/nikias-arndt/">Nikias Arndt</a> will be out of action for the coming months after the German got caught up in the carnage
suffering a fractured vertebra in the process
"Nikias Arndt sustained an unstable vertebral fracture with no neurological symptoms after the crash at the Classic Brugge-De Panne," the team announced on Thursday
"He underwent successful spinal surgery today in Belgium
and we hope to see him back on the bike in the next two months."
Bahrain Victorious will be led by their usual Classics pairing of Fred Wright and Matej Mohori&#269; at the upcoming races through the Tour of Flanders and <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.cyclingnews.com/paris-roubaix/" data-before-rewrite-localise="https://www.cyclingnews.com/paris-roubaix/">Paris-Roubaix</a>
The injury means that Arndt has been ruled out of the remainder of the Spring Classics
while several others who also went down at the Classic Brugge-De Panne will also miss upcoming races
<a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.cyclingnews.com/riders/edward-theuns/" data-before-rewrite-localise="https://www.cyclingnews.com/riders/edward-theuns/">Edward Theuns</a> (Lidl-Trek) and Milan Fretin (Cofidis) were both slated to ride at Gent-Wevelgem on Sunday
but both men have been removed from their team lineups for the race
who recently won the Bredene Koksijde Classic
while Fretin suffered a mild concussion and also had road rash over his body
Soudal-QuickStep sprinter <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.cyclingnews.com/riders/tim-merlier/" data-before-rewrite-localise="https://www.cyclingnews.com/riders/tim-merlier/">Tim Merlier</a> was one of the favourites for the race
going down in a mass crash 1km from the finish
The European champion suffered abrasions on his right-hand side, also sustaining a cut under his right knee, which required stitches. His participation at <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.cyclingnews.com/gent-wevelgem/" data-before-rewrite-localise="https://www.cyclingnews.com/gent-wevelgem/">Gent-Wevelgem</a>
Soudal-QuickStep have yet to make any announcements or give updates on Merlier's condition, but he did complete a <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.strava.com/pros/5727288" target="_blank" data-url="https://www.strava.com/pros/5727288" referrerpolicy="no-referrer-when-downgrade" data-hl-processed="none">three-hour, 107km training ride</a> on Thursday
Classics veteran Yves Lampaert and up-and-coming French racer Paul Magnier will line up for the team at Gent-Wevelgem
but a fit and in-form Merlier would add another dimension to the team in a race that favours the fast finishers
Edward Theuns (Lidl-Trek) after crossing the line at Classic Brugge-De Panne
A series of falls on run to line leaves some finishing in ripped up kit and covered with wounds as others have to abandon injured
with several teams delivering updates on rider injuries into the evening
Lotto riders <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.cyclingnews.com/riders/jasper-de-buyst/" data-before-rewrite-localise="https://www.cyclingnews.com/riders/jasper-de-buyst/">Jasper De Buyst</a> and Lionel Taminiaux were caught up
with the latter coming out of the day worse
&ldquo;In one of the crashes today in Brugge-De Panne
Jasper De Buyst and Lionel Taminiaux were involved,&rdquo; said Lotto on social media
&ldquo;Jasper mainly suffered abrasions from his crash
Lionel is worse off &ndash; he has a collapsed lung and a broken rib and will spend the night in the hospital.&rdquo;
Cofidis riders Damien Touz&eacute;, <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.cyclingnews.com/riders/milan-fretin/" data-before-rewrite-localise="https://www.cyclingnews.com/riders/milan-fretin/">Milan Fretin</a> and Piet Allegaert also fell in one of the earlier crashes
Fretin's and Allegaert's wounds were clearly visible with their kits ripped
but the trio of Cofidis riders were among those who eventually made it over the line
"Let's try to heal well and see what the coming days will bring&hellip;"
One of the favourites, <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.cyclingnews.com/riders/tim-merlier/" data-before-rewrite-localise="https://www.cyclingnews.com/riders/tim-merlier/">Tim Merlier</a> (Soudal-Quickstep)
The European champion got through the earlier crashes and looked like he could challenge in the reduced group sprint
a nasty fall at a split in the road at just over 1km to go brought him down
Tim suffered abrasions to his right leg and arm
and a small open wound under the right knee
which required stitching," said Soudal-Quickstep
after which his participation in the future races will be decided."
Gent-Wevelgem was penned in as the next race up for Merlier, with the <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.cyclingnews.com/tour-of-flanders/" data-before-rewrite-localise="https://www.cyclingnews.com/tour-of-flanders/">Tour of Flanders</a> also on the schedule ahead of Scheldeprijs and Paris-Roubaix
It was a tough day out for Huub Artz (Intermarch&eacute;-Wanty)
The 22-year-old was racing his first WorldTour event but ended his day in hospital for checks along with teammate Gerben Thijssen
who at least rode through to finish after getting caught in the carnage
Visma-Lease a Bike's <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.cyclingnews.com/riders/olav-kooij/" data-before-rewrite-localise="https://www.cyclingnews.com/riders/olav-kooij/">Olav Kooij</a> also hit the ground
"the damage seems to be limited to abrasions"
"There are still some big goals ahead for him
so we&rsquo;ll have to see how he recovers from this crash,&rdquo; said team directeur sportif Grischa Niermann
The <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.cyclingnews.com/classic-brugge-de-panne-women/" data-before-rewrite-localise="https://www.cyclingnews.com/classic-brugge-de-panne-women/">Classic Brugge-De Panne Women</a> runs on Thursday
Cyclingnews will continue to add further updates as they become available
She joined Cyclingnews as a Production Editor at the start of the 2021 season and has now moved into the role of Australia Editor
Previously she worked as a freelance writer
Australian Editor at Ella CyclingTips and as a correspondent for Reuters and Bloomberg
Cycling was initially purely a leisure pursuit for Simone
but in 2015 her career focus also shifted to the sport
18-year-old puts in an impressive breakaway ride despite illness during first spring Classics campaign in the pros
The 2025 spring Classics campaign is a collection of firsts for <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.cyclingnews.com/riders/cat-ferguson/" data-before-rewrite-localise="https://www.cyclingnews.com/riders/cat-ferguson/">Cat Ferguson</a>
simply by virtue of it being the 18-year-old's first season racing at elite level
Following a podium at the Trofeo Alfredo Binda and a top-20 at Milan-San Remo, she showed herself again on Thursday by going on the attack in the <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.cyclingnews.com/classic-brugge-de-panne-women/" data-before-rewrite-localise="https://www.cyclingnews.com/classic-brugge-de-panne-women/">Classic Brugge-De Panne</a>
Ferguson, who stepped up straight from the junior ranks this year, held onto a gap of just 20 seconds during her move and was eventually reeled in with 2.5km to go. In a post-race interview with <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3hVzT_3HhlA" target="_blank" data-url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3hVzT_3HhlA" referrerpolicy="no-referrer-when-downgrade" data-hl-processed="none">Felix Mattis</a>
she admitted to suffering from a minor illness but wouldn't use that as an excuse
so I was trying not to look back because I knew how little that gap was," Ferguson said.&nbsp;
"It needed to be more for it to stay in the final
but I'm a little bit ill and have had a few days off since the last race
Ferguson had planned to practice her positioning in the flat
That move allowed her to practice other skills
mentally &ndash; how to push yourself and to keep going when I knew my gap was 20 seconds for the whole time
The wind didn't blow the race apart in De Moeren as it sometimes does in the Classic Brugge-De Panne
riding solo off the front meant that Ferguson could get in some impromptu time trialling and aerodynamics practice
in addition to that focus on the mental side of racing
especially in a flat race like this," Ferguson said of aerodynamics
I had a big focus on keeping my head down as much as I could."
In the end, she was caught before the final run to the line, leaving <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.cyclingnews.com/riders/lorena-wiebes/" data-before-rewrite-localise="https://www.cyclingnews.com/riders/lorena-wiebes/">Lorena Wiebes</a> to claim yet another victory as she beat Chiara Consonni in the closing sprint
There's more to look forward to for Ferguson in the coming weeks
Despite her young age, the reigning junior road race and time trial world champion <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.cyclingnews.com/road/teams/uci-womens-worldtour/2025/movistar-team-women/" data-before-rewrite-localise="https://www.cyclingnews.com/road/teams/uci-womens-worldtour/2025/movistar-team-women/">Movistar</a> have listed Ferguson for a full programme of top-level Classics
she's rewarded her team with a series of positive rides
and debuts at the two cobbled Monuments are among her next outings
"Next, I have Gent-Wevelgem on Sunday," she explained. "And then I do Flanders, <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.cyclingnews.com/paris-roubaix-femmes/" data-before-rewrite-localise="https://www.cyclingnews.com/paris-roubaix-femmes/">Paris-Roubaix</a>
and then sort of a rest after the Belgian Classics."
Lukas&nbsp;Kn&ouml;fler started working in cycling communications in 2013 and has seen the inside of the scene from many angles
Having worked as press officer for teams and races and written for several online and print publications
he has been Cyclingnews&rsquo; Women&rsquo;s WorldTour correspondent since 2018
No sprint relegation from Lidl-Trek rider who pushed Uno-X Mobility rider away at high speed
After finishing second in a close sprint after a crash-hit lead out at <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.cyclingnews.com/races/classic-brugge-de-panne-2025/elite-men/results/" data-before-rewrite-localise="https://www.cyclingnews.com/races/classic-brugge-de-panne-2025/elite-men/results/">Classic Brugge-De Panne</a>
Jonathan Milan (Lidl-Trek) was handed a yellow card by the UCI race jury and 500CHF fine
Alexander Kristoff (Uno-X Mobility) was also punished in the same way for "obstruction by a rider in order to prevent or delay the movement of another rider"
Milan was not relegated in the sprint because the 'obstruction' came before the sprint unfolded
The Lidl-Trek rider was seen using his head to push the Uno-X Mobility rider aside
who had knocked into him with his shoulders
The sprint finish was dramatically reduced by a <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.cyclingnews.com/news/four-crashes-spoil-sprinters-hopes-in-really-dangerous-final-of-classic-brugge-de-panne/" data-before-rewrite-localise="https://www.cyclingnews.com/news/four-crashes-spoil-sprinters-hopes-in-really-dangerous-final-of-classic-brugge-de-panne/">series of crashes</a> during the run to the line
the last coming with just over one kilometre to go after the road split as the pace and tension was high as teams positioned for the leadout
Kristoff was among the riders that came down in that crash.&nbsp;
The disruption meant only a small group came to the line and Juan Sebastian Molano (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) launched his sprint early
Milan closed quickly and almost caught Molano on the line
Michael Schwarzmann (Israel-Premier Tech) was also given a yellow card
with the reason cited in the race communique being: "Rider decelerating and endangering other riders (knowingly staying within the line of other riders)."
Suspension is on the table for those with multiple cards within set periods
Two yellow cards during the same event leads to disqualification and suspension for seven days and the penalty for three cards in 30 days is a 14-day suspension
Six cards over a 52-week period can lead to a 30-day suspension
Kaden Groves (Alpecin-Deceuninck) also was handed a yellow card this week at <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.cyclingnews.com/volta-ciclista-a-catalunya/" data-before-rewrite-localise="https://www.cyclingnews.com/volta-ciclista-a-catalunya/">Volta a Catalunya</a>
making it his second after receiving one at the start of this month for an early celebration of his teammate's win at Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne.&nbsp;
Danny van Poppel (Red Bull-Bora Hansgrohe) is the only other rider who has received two yellow cards so far this year
Geen declassering, wel een gele kaart voor Jonathan Milan na kopstoot in sprintvoorbereiding https://t.co/C9j5pebN0J<a href="https://twitter.com/sporza_koers/status/1904939458811621444" data-url="https://twitter.com/sporza_koers/status/1904939458811621444" target="_blank" referrerpolicy="no-referrer-when-downgrade" data-hl-processed="none">March 26, 2025</a>
The world's best fast men line up for this sprinter-friendly Belgian classic
all lined up in the same race to resume the contest of who exactly is the fastest sprinter in the world right now
It's a rare treat to have all the best sprinters present in the same race outside maybe the Tour de France so this year's Classic Brugge-De Panne should have a sensational finish so long as the sprint teams can keep the race together that is
Lining up to do battle on the exposed roads of northern Belgium will be Biniam Girmay (Intermarch&eacute; - Wanty)
two time winner Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin - Deceuninck)
2022 winner Tim Merlier (Soudal Quick-Step) and holding the title of favourite
the giant Italian Jonathan Milan (Lidl - Trek)
then the 195km route crosses the wind battered swamp plains of De Moeren
before heading for Veurne and De Panne for three loops of the 42.9km finishing circuit
Fans of echelons may be left wanting today as maximum wind speeds of only 10 mph are predicted, but this will make life easier for the sprint teams as they aim to hold the <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.techradar.com/tag/peloton" data-auto-tag-linker="true" data-before-rewrite-localise="https://www.techradar.com/tag/peloton">peloton</a> together for the finale
Read on for everything you need to know to watch a 2025 Classic Brugge-De Panne live stream from anywhere
Classic Brugge-De Panne is streaming on lots of platforms around the world
but what if you're abroad and don't want to take out a new subscription just to watch the race
It's outstanding at unblocking streaming services
it's fast and it has top-level security features too
A subscription will set you back US$149.99 for the year or US$29.99 on a monthly basis
which will help you access your Flo subscription from anywhere
With Eurosport no longer available in the U.K. the only place to catch the cycling action is now on <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.tntsports.co.uk/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow" data-url="https://www.tntsports.co.uk/" referrerpolicy="no-referrer-when-downgrade" data-hl-processed="none">TNT Sports</a>
though BT Broadband customers can get a discounted rate
You will also have access to the Premier League
Champions League and Europa League football plus rugby
A subscription will set you back CAN$150 for the year or CAN$29.99 on a monthly basis
In Australia the 2025 Classic Brugge-De Panne will be shown on <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.staylive.io/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow" data-url="https://www.staylive.io/" referrerpolicy="no-referrer-when-downgrade" data-hl-processed="none">Staylive</a>
a relatively new platform that shows various events Warner Bros
A subscription to <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://app.staylive.io/cycling/roadcycling" target="_blank" rel="nofollow" data-url="https://app.staylive.io/cycling/roadcycling" referrerpolicy="no-referrer-when-downgrade" data-hl-processed="none">Staylive Cycling</a> costs $5.99 AUD per month or $59.99 for the year
BELGIUM - MARCH 27: Ilaria Sanguineti of Italy and Team Lidl - Trek (R) prior to the 8th Women's Classic Brugge-De Panne 2025 a 152.7km one day race from Brugge to De Panne / #UCIWT / on March 27
SD Worx Protime rider backs up Sanremo Women win to out-sprint Chiara Consonni and Elisa Balsamo
Lorena Wiebes sprints to her 99th career victory
Welcome to live coverage of the eighth edition of the women's Brugge - De Panne&nbsp;
This race is one for the sprinter&rsquo;s and all of the fastest riders in the women&rsquo;s WorldTour are here including European Champion Lorena Wiebes as well as Charlotte Kool
2024 winner Elisa Balsamo and Chiara Consonni.&nbsp;
It&rsquo;s a pan-flat course which in previous editions has seen crosswind action on the infamous De Moeren
the sun is shining and there is very little wind meaning we are likely to see the race come down to a bunch sprint.&nbsp;
The men's peloton faced similar conditions yesterday <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.cyclingnews.com/news/four-crashes-spoil-sprinters-hopes-in-really-dangerous-final-of-classic-brugge-de-panne/" data-before-rewrite-localise="https://www.cyclingnews.com/news/four-crashes-spoil-sprinters-hopes-in-really-dangerous-final-of-classic-brugge-de-panne/">resulting in a crash-filled finale that took out many of the favourites</a>
The women will be hoping to avoid a similar outcome today
but will teams be able to make it hard enough to thin down the field without any crosswinds?&nbsp;
they have 8.5km before the official start in Bruges.&nbsp;
After her victory at Sanremo women at the weekend
Lorena Wiebes of SD Worx - Protime goes into this race as the favourite having demonstrated the form she is in
the hills of Sanremo are very different to the flat and technical roads in Belgium but the Dutch rider has also shown herself to be pretty adept in a straight sprint
Charlotte Kool has been Wiebes' closest rival for some time
however the Team Picnic - PostNL rider has been unable to get the better of her compatriot so far this season
including in UAE Tour where she had previously managed to beat Wiebes
Can the 25-year-old find the speed to take her first De Panne victory today?&nbsp;
Lidl - Trek's Elisa Balsamo is another fast finisher to watch today
The former World Champion has one Women's WorldTour victory under her belt already this season from Trofeo Alfredo Binda earlier this month but hasn't always been able to match the pure speed of Wiebes
The Italian does have a strong team around her
including new teammates Anna Henderson and Emma Norsgaard
The flag has been dropped and the race is officially on
Oh stop it Belgium, you&rsquo;re showing off! &#128525;&#9728;&#65039;#ClassicBruggeDePanne pic.twitter.com/iDJgdO6asl<a href="https://twitter.com/WMNcycling/status/1905231678567559551">March 27, 2025</a>
The peloton is still complete so far.&nbsp;
"It's going to come down to a sprint finish today so we're prepared for a good day working around that" - Amber Pate of Liv AlUla Jayco before the race&nbsp;
&#128302; PRE-RACE THOUGHTS&#127908; Amber Pate&#127463;&#127466; #ClassicBruggeDePanne pic.twitter.com/gIUW8oGcTg<a href="https://twitter.com/GreenEDGEteam/status/1905225202134347990">March 27, 2025</a>
After 20 km of racing the peloton are still all together.&nbsp;
Still no sign of a breakaway after 30km of racing
Maybe the sprinter's teams are controlling the race
or maybe nobody fancies a day in the breakaway but for whatever reason there has been no action out of the peloton after 40 km of racing.&nbsp;
Maike van der Duin (Canyon//SRAM zondacrypto) has a flat&nbsp;
The peloton will soon pass through Veurne for the first time today before heading towards the first passage of the finish line and the start of three local laps.&nbsp;
There has been a crash in the peloton on the approach to Veurne
The peloton will soon pass through the finish line in De Panne for the first time
They have two more laps of the local circuit to complete before the finish.&nbsp;
The peloton have crossed the finish line for the first time
There was a flurry of attacks as they approached De Panne however they have now been neutralised
Will we see a break go or will the peloton remain together until the finish?&nbsp;
Two riders have a small gap: Millie Couzens of Fenix - Deceuninck and Elena Pirrone of Roland&nbsp;
The two riders have a 20 second gap to the peloton&nbsp;
and SD Worx - Protime are leading the peloton
The two breakaway riders are passing through Veurne for the second time&nbsp;
Crash involving three riders: Franziska Koch of Team Picnic PostNL
Femke Beuling of VolkerWessels Women's Pro Cycling Team
and Britt de Grave of DD Group Pro Cycling Team
Koch and Beuling are back on their bikes&nbsp;
The gap for the two leaders (Couzens and Pirrone) is 36 seconds
and Movistar are all present at the front of the peloton
Britt de Grave of DD Group Pro Cycling Team has abandoned the race.&nbsp;
Can the European Champion take her 99th career victory today?&nbsp;
and Liv AlUla Jayco are controlling the peloton.&nbsp;
The breakaway riders are on De Moeren&nbsp;
The gap to the breakaway is now down to 28 seconds&nbsp;
and FDJ SUEZ are at the front of the peloton.&nbsp;
The gap is now down to 14 seconds as the riders head towards the finish line for the second time
FDJ SUEZ and Lidl - Trek are setting a high pace on the approach to De Panne
Just 10 seconds now for the two breakaway riders&nbsp;
The breakaway riders have passed through the feed zone and have now been caught&nbsp;
The peloton are now all together as they approach the second passage of the finish line
Crash in the peloton for riders from Canyon//SRAM - zondacrypto
The peloton cross the line as the bell signals one lap to go
Chiara Consonni (Canyon//SRAM - Zondacrypto) is being led back into the peloton by teammate Zoe Backstedt after her crash&nbsp;
UAE Team ADQ have come to the front of the peloton alongside FDJ SUEZ
Nina Buijsman of FDJ SUEZ has abandoned the race&nbsp;
and Ceratizit - WNT are setting a high pace at the front of the peloton
Attack from Floortje Mackaij of Movistar&nbsp;
Mackaij has attacked again and has a small gap
Millie Couzens of Fenix - Deceuninck closes the gap to Mackaij
Fenix Deceuninck and FDJ SUEZ are chasing behind&nbsp;
SD Worx Protime have joined the chase in the peloton behind as Ferguson now has a 12 second lead&nbsp;
now has a lead of 14 seconds as the peloton are spread across the road behind
FDJ SUEZ have taken up the chase and Feguson's gap is now down to just 9 seconds&nbsp;
Team Picnic - PostNL and Uno-X Mobility have joined the chase&nbsp;
16 seconds now for Ferguson with 25 km to go
Team Picnic Post-NL are chasing&nbsp;alongside Team SD Worx Protime
The peloton are passing through Veurne for the final time&nbsp;
who at 18 is the second-youngest rider in the race
Her gap is 18 seconds with 22 km to go.&nbsp;
SD Worx Protime are leading the chase behind
Lidl - Trek have now taken to the front&nbsp;
Skylar Schneider leads the chase for SD Worx Protime as Ferguson maintains a 16 second lead
Canyon//SRAM zondacrypto are now leading the peloton
Team Visma | Lease a Bike have also come to the front now as Ferguson holds onto a 9 second advantage
Ferguson's lead is fluctuating between around 10 and 15 seconds&nbsp;
SD Worx Protime are back on the front now working for Lorena Wiebes&nbsp;
Ferguson is still holding onto her lead which is currently 14 seconds&nbsp;
Ferguson is on De Moeren with an advantage of 20 seconds&nbsp;
straight section the peloton can see Ferguson up ahead but will they catch her?&nbsp;
Ferguson still holds on to a 14 second lead&nbsp;
crash in the peloton for riders from Cofidis and DD Group Pro Cycling Team
Amalie Dideriksen of Cofidis and Yonna van Dam of DD Group Pro Cycling Team are the riders who crashed
Coming in to the final 7 km of racing and Ferguson still maintains a 20 second lead&nbsp;
Uno-X Mobility have joined the chase to try and reel Ferguson back in&nbsp;
Team Picnic PostNL and Uno - X Mobility are really working to bring the gap to Ferguson down but the British rider is holding on to a 15 second lead
10 seconds for Ferguson now with 5 km to go
Lidl-Trek and UAE Team ADQ are pulling in the peloton
Ferguson's lead has plummeted to eight seconds now&nbsp;
The peloton are very close to catching Ferguson now as they head towards the finish
Abi Smith of Picnic PostNL is involved in the crash
all together on the approach to the line&nbsp;
The crash caused a split in the bunch but the favourites remain towards the front&nbsp;
Lorena Wiebes is latched into Elisa Balsamo's wheel&nbsp;
Despite a late challenge from Chiara Consonni the European Champion was the fastest to the line and takes career victory number 99
"I needed to start my sprint quite early so it was a bit of a gamble
It was a hectic day and I'm happy with the teamwork and how they brought me to the finish line."&nbsp;
"The whole race was quite nervous and this final is always quite nervous but I had Barabara [Guarischi] in front of me and she brought me into a good position so that was good."&nbsp;
"Actually that was better compared to yesterday tha oe team really took the lead
Lidl-Trek they had the full leadout still and then it's a bit more on one line so with the narrow roads it's better."
"I felt someone coming back at me but I knew that I had to go full gas."&nbsp;
Looking ahead to Gent-Wevelgem on Sunday: "I hope there will be a lot of wind."
"I really need to say thank you to all of my teammates
they did an amazing job it was honestly the perfect leadout
My legs today were not the best legs but the first two riders were stronger so it's ok i'm just really happy because today the team was perfect."
Was it hard to find the right moment to start the sprint?&nbsp;
the team did an amazing job so I knew where I needed to start my sprint."
"We said before she is really strong and today we saw that she is the strongest."&nbsp;
"The final was really nervous but we were always in the front so it was easier."&nbsp;
In the end a podium in this first part of the season
I'm really happy because when you change the team sometimes it's hard to work together and today we tried and I think we did out best
I also tried to sprint until the finish line but I am happy with my second place."
"It was really hard to pick the best position because we were in a big bunch and everyone wanted to stay in her [Wiebes'] wheel
I started the sprint maybe a bit back but I'm really happy about my feeling and I can't wait until the next time I can sprint with all these girls."&nbsp;
"In the end it was the best we could do but
next time we try again and why not one day I can put my hands up?"&nbsp;
Three late crashes wreak havoc at the Belgian World Tour race
Tim Merlier entered Classic Brugge-De Panne as one of the red-hot favourites
after taking a total of six victories since the start of the season in three different races: AlUla Tour
it wasn&rsquo;t meant to be Wednesday afternoon despite his Soudal Quick-Step teammates&rsquo; superb work
after he was involved in one of the numerous crashes that took place in the final five kilometers
The Belgian hit the ground just before the final kilometer
the last of the three incidents that split the peloton and made for a chaotic finale in Belgium
after which his participation in the future races will be decided
From the small group that contested the victory
Juan Sebastian Molano (UAE Team Emirates) accelerated long before the finish and managed to hold off the others
Photo credit: &copy;Luc Claessen / Getty Images
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Beginning in 1977 as a three-day race on the men&#8217;s calendar, Brugge-De Panne transitioned into a one-day <a href="https://www.cyclist.co.uk/in-depth/all-you-need-to-know-about-the-classics-monuments-cobbles">Classic</a> in 2018 and was upgraded to WorldTour level the following year
The first edition of the women’s Brugge-De Panne also ran in 2018
The races begin in Bruges and head to a circuit just over 40k in length
but the race usually comes down to a bunch sprint in De Panne
In 2024, Jasper Philipsen rode to his second consecutive victory, outsprinting Soudal-QuickStep&#8217;s Tim Merlier. <a href="https://www.cyclist.co.uk/in-depth/elisa-balsamo-profile">Elisa Balsamo</a> won the sprint in the women&#8217;s race ahead of Charlotte Kool of DSM
Related questions you can explore with Ask Cyclist, our AI search engine.If you would like to ask your own question you just need to <a href="#jeg_loginform" class="jeg_popuplink login-miso1">Login</a>, <a href="#jeg_registerform" class="jeg_popuplink reg-miso1">Register</a> or <a class="sub-miso1" href="/subscriptions/" target="_blank">subscribe</a>
Date: Men’s – Wednesday 26th March; Women’s – Thursday 27th MarchStart: Brugge
BelgiumDistance: Men’s – 195.6km; Women’s – 152.7kmTelevision coverage: TNT Sports
FloBikesPrevious winners: Men’s – Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck); Women’s – Elisa Balsamo (Lidl-Trek)
Both the men and women’s pelotons will cover the same very flat route through northern Flanders from Brugge to De Panne
The men will cover three laps of the 42.9km loop
which is one kilometre shorter than last year
DSM drilled it on the front for Charlotte Kool but ultimately came up short
She returns this year to right those wrongs
but will have to face strong competition from reigning champion Balsamo plus former teammate Lorena Wiebes
The 2025 Classic Brugge-De Panne races are only available to watch in the UK and Ireland on&nbsp;TNT Sports, Sporza in Belgium, Max in the USA, FloBikes in the USA or Canada for just the men's race, and Staylive for the men's race and a replay of the women's race elsewhere (check which countries <a href="https://app.staylive.io/cycling/calendar-roadcycling" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow">here</a>)
If the race isn't being broadcast in your country or you are travelling abroad, a VPN will allow you to hide your device’s location to access content that is normally geo-blocked. One such VPN provider is&nbsp;<a href="https://go.expressvpn.com/m5yJGZ" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow">ExpressVPN</a>, which is&nbsp;<a href="https://www.techradar.com/reviews/expressvpn" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow">well reviewed</a>
TNT Sports online:&nbsp;14:15-16:50 GMTTNT Sports 3: 14:00-16:30 GMT
TNT Sports online:&nbsp;14:15-16:40 GMTTNT Sports 3: 14:00-16:30
Data powered by <a href="https://firstcycling.com/race.php?r=40&#038;y=2025&#038;k=8" title="FirstCycling.com" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">FirstCycling.com</a>
Data powered by <a href="https://firstcycling.com/race.php?r=9047&#038;y=2025&#038;k=8" title="FirstCycling.com" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">FirstCycling.com</a>
2024: Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck) 2023: Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck)2022: Tim Merlier (Alpecin-Fenix)2021: Sam Bennett (Deceuninck Quick-Step)2020: Yves Lampaert (Deceuninck Quick-Step)2019: Dylan Groenewegen (Jumbo-Visma)2018: Elia Viviani (Quick-Step Floors)
2024: Elisa Balsamo (Lidl-Trek)2023: Pfeiffer Georgi (Team DSM)2022: Elisa Balsamo (Trek-Segafredo)2021: Grace Brown (Team BikeExchange)2020: Lorena Wiebes (Team Sunweb)2019: Kirsten Wild (WNT-Rotor Pro Cycling)2018: Jolien D'Hoore (Mitchelton-Scott)
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The women's peloton stayed together until the finishing circuits
Elena Pirrone (Roland) and Millie Couzens (Fenix-Deceuninck) on the attack
Lorena Wiebes (SD Worx-Protime) won the Classic Brugge-De Panne
sprinting to victory ahead of Chiara Consonni (Canyon-SRAM zondacrypto) and Elisa Balsamo (Lidl-Trek)
A breakaway of two riders had been caught with one lap of the 42.9km finishing circuit to go
Cat Ferguson (Movistar) went solo with 35km to go and kept the peloton at just over ten seconds for a long time but was eventually reeled in 2.5km from the finish
Lidl-Trek led the sprinters onto the finishing straight
but Wiebes launched her trademark sprint from Balsamo's wheel with 200 metres to go and was a bike length ahead of Consonni and several bike lengths ahead of Balsamo on the line
&ldquo;I started my sprint quite early,&rdquo; said Wiebes after her first sixth victory of the 2025 season
also because it&rsquo;s just a little bit uphill
but I could feel someone coming from behind
there&rsquo;s always the danger of someone coming from behind with speed
but I had Barbara [Guarischi] in front of me
and she brought me into a good position.&rdquo;
Wiebes also compared the women&rsquo;s race to the men&rsquo;s edition on Wednesday that had been marred by several crashes in the final
&ldquo;It was better compared to yesterday that one team really took the lead
and then it&rsquo;s a bit more in one line
As only light winds were forecast in the exposed open areas near the Flemish coast
the 152.7km race from Brugge to De Panne was expected to finish in a bunch sprint
The peloton stayed together on the first part of the race
travelling from the start city to the finishing circuit around De Panne
Only when they had started the first of two laps of the circuit &ndash; and with the live broadcast about to begin &ndash; did riders try to initiate a breakaway
Millie Couzens (Fenix-Deceuninck) and Elena Pirrone (Roland) succeeded in getting away
gradually increasing their advantage to 50 seconds
but the peloton never lost control of the race
and Human Powered Health kept the time gap under a minute and increased the pace through De Moeren
catching Couzens and Pirrone just before passing through the finish with one lap to go
Floortje Mackaij (Movistar) made a tentative attack that came to nothing
but her teammate Ferguson then followed up with another acceleration that saw her get a gap
Although the peloton had the 18-year-old in sight almost the whole time and she never had more than 19 seconds in hand
though nothing as serious as in the men's race the day before
Ferguson was brought back with 2.5km to go
Lidl-Trek then took charge with three riders ahead of Balsamo
Guarischi had brought Wiebes to the front and did a side-by-side drag race with Ilaria Sanguineti (Lidl-Trek) before peeling off
Wiebes was briefly boxed in between Lara Gillespie (UAE Team ADQ) and Nienke Veenhoven (Visma-Lease a Bike) but kept her calm
and when the gap opened for her between Balsamo and Veenhoven
the European champion launched her sprint to win.&nbsp;
Results powered by <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://firstcycling.com/race.php?r=9047&amp;y=2025" target="_blank" rel="nofollow" data-url="https://firstcycling.com/race.php?r=9047&amp;y=2025" referrerpolicy="no-referrer-when-downgrade" data-hl-processed="none">FirstCycling</a>
Please note that this is an automated translation and it will not be perfect
All articles have been written in English and if anything appears to not make sense
Arnaud De Lie ruled out of Tour of Flanders as troubles continue
your roundup of news items from across the world of cycling
We keep this post updated throughout the week so that you can stay informed on all things bike racing
Here is what is making the headlines this week …
Olav Kooij started the more sprinter-friendly cobbled classic of Gent-Wevelgem as sprint leader for Visma-Lease a Bike
with Matteo Jorgenson also in the squad to respond as opportunities arose
but his race came to an end on the side a plugstreet – narrow gravel lane – with a suspected broken collarbone
With Wout van Aert yet to reach competitive form so far this season
on top of Jonas Vingegaard’s concerning concussion layoff
it’s another blow to the Visma-Lease a Bike squad that is still hoping to turn the tables on the disaster that was spring 2024 – and for Kooij who had been targeting a Giro start in six weeks
Belgian national champion Arnaud De Lie had a great deal of expectation resting on his shoulders coming into this classics season – and the promise of a Tour de France debut to look forward to – but it’s been far from the spring he and his team had hoped for
Struggles with form at Nokere Koerse and Bruges-De Panne prompted the 23-year-old to withdraw from E3 in order to rest before Gent-Wevelgem
De Lie was forced to abandon the WorldTour classic – something was clearly not right
“He will take some time in the coming days for a reset and will therefore not start in Dwars Door Vlaanderen on Wednesday and the Tour of Flanders on Sunday,” his team <a href="https://x.com/lottocycling_/status/1906392250260590601?ref=escapecollective.com" rel="noreferrer">shared on social media</a>
and look forward to having him back with us soon.”
De Lie was ruled out of a chunk of races around this time last year due to Lyme disease, which can return or cause chronic symptoms, but his team have indicated this is not the issue. [<a href="https://sporza.be/nl/2025/03/30/arnaud-de-lie-drukt-pauzeknop-in-na-opgave-geen-dwars-door-vlaanderen-en-ronde-van-vlaanderen~1743338672803/?ref=escapecollective.com" rel="noreferrer">Sporza</a>]
The Volta a Catalunya finished this Sunday with its traditional laps of the Montjuïc Park in Barcelona
but one of the most dramatic stages of the race was the previous day’s stage 6
and all because of the rigmarole around the extreme weather
all of which brought what was meant to be the Queen Stage down to a relatively flat 25 kilometres
Race organiser Ruben Peris later took aim at the peloton for their ‘lack of respect’ for overturning what had been agreed and only racing one of the planned local laps
“It's been an unpleasant day,” Peris <a href="https://www.cyclingnews.com/news/im-very-upset-volta-a-catalunya-organiser-expresses-serious-dismay-over-riders-last-minute-change-of-decision-over-stage-6-route-change/?ref=escapecollective.com" rel="noreferrer">told Cyclingnews</a> at the finish in Berga
“That's because we'd agreed with the riders to do one thing and they did another
We agreed we'd do one lap neutralised as a recon.
we got told by some riders that it was now a question of finishing that first lap and the whole stage would be over … Some riders
have not lived up to their responsibilities.”
Read more on the confusion of stage 6 <a href="https://escapecollective.com/confusion-in-catalunya/" rel="noreferrer">here at Escape Collective</a>
Sunday’s main events were the men’s and women’s Gent-Wevelgem, where team strength defined both. In <a href="https://escapecollective.com/a-week-out-from-flanders-pedersen-becomes-the-monster-to-win-gent-wevelgem/" rel="noreferrer">the men’s race</a>
Mads Pedersen attacked from the peloton ultimately to bridge up to the remains of the breakaway
and completed the remaining 56 km solo for a record-equalling third Gent-Wevelgem victory and the 50th pro win of his career
Meanwhile, SD Worx-Protime were all over <a href="https://escapecollective.com/wiebes-leaves-no-room-for-doubt-en-route-to-her-100th-pro-win/" rel="noreferrer">the women’s race</a>
Several other teams attempted to break the SD Worx stranglehold
but with Lotte Kopecky and Lorena Wiebes both on flying form as they set the pace or followed moves
there was no stopping the Dutch superstar in the bunch sprint for victory
The European champion surged clear of the bunch in the gallop for the line to take a characteristically dominant victory
extending her extraordinary start to 2025 and bringing her palmarès up to 100 wins – and counting
Earlier in the day, Primož Roglič raced aggressively to take the stage win and overall Volta a Catalunya victory after breaking overnight leader Juan Ayuso in the punchy finishing laps – read more on the outcome of a dramatic week of Catalan racing <a href="https://escapecollective.com/carpe-diem-at-the-volta-a-catalunya-good-signs-for-the-giro-as-roglic-rides-away-to-thrilling-victory/" rel="noreferrer">here at Escape Collective</a>
And at the lumpy La Roue Tourangelle in France
Erlend Blikra (Uno-X Mobility) took the win ahead of WorldTour rivals Bryan Coquard (Cofidis) and Gerben Thijssen (Intermarché-Wanty)
Mathieu van der Poel was on the attack when
with a little over 30 km left to race at the E3 Saxo Classic
the Milan-San Remo winner was spat at by a spectator as he accelerated up the Karnemelkbeekstraat
It doesn’t look like Van der Poel was hit – and he was oblivious when asked about it in his winner's interview – but the deputy chief of the Ronse police force told Het Laatste Nieuws that the incident is being taken very seriously: “We want to send a clear message that we absolutely do not tolerate this kind of act
We call on supporters to show their love for cycling in a respectful and sporting manner during the upcoming races.”
It was a confusing day at the Volta a Catalunya as extreme wind conditions led to multiple changes to the route
then the complete overhaul of what was meant to be the Queen Stage
making it just two rolling laps local to the start town – and the first 70 km lap would be neutralised
There was then a mid-circuit change as some of the riders called on the commissaires to let them race to the end of the first lap where they’d call it a day
and Quinn Simmons (Lidl-Trek) took a strange victory after just 25 km of racing
Read more on this story <a href="https://escapecollective.com/confusion-in-catalunya/" rel="noreferrer">here at Escape Collective</a>
Three months after undergoing a hip replacement following a bike crash in late 2024
cycling legend Eddy Merckx is relieved to finally be on the mend after a second surgery last weekend
The 79-year-old Belgian had been doing rehabilitation with sports physiotherapist Thijs Hertsen
whose past clients have included Remco Evenepoel and Wout van Aert
but persistent discomfort kept Merckx off the bike.&nbsp;
a scan showed that the titanium prosthetic hip was loose
something Merckx’s doctor told him happened in only four of 10,000 cases
A four-hour surgery to secure the prosthesis yielded almost instant results
and Merckx is now looking forward to getting back on the bike
was one of a handful of riders who opted not to start Saturday’s stage 6 of the Volta a Catalunya
with Visma-Lease a Bike stating that they’d “decided to give the 19-year-old rider some extra rest.”
A late addition to Visma-Lease a Bike’s lineup after the withdrawal of Jonas Vingegaard
Brennan left the WorldTour stage race with two brilliant stage wins
and will now rest and recover in preparation for his next races
where he will enjoy more opportunities and support after his recent successes
The final stage of the Settimana Coppi e Bartali endured multiple splits in the bunch as they took on the relatively short hilly stage
there was never any chance for a breakaway to get established
Jay Vine (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) leapt clear of the reduced peloton about 15 km from the line and was able to maintain his half-minute lead to take a second stage win of the race
Race leader Ben Tulett then crossed the line in the same group as second-overall Mark Donovan (Q36.5) to successfully defend his 18-second lead and take his biggest result since signing with Visma-Lease a Bike over a year ago
Quinn Simmons (Lidl-Trek) won a heavily curtailed stage 6 as the GC was neutralised before the final stage
leaving Juan Ayuso (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) still hanging onto a one-second lead over Primož Roglič (Red Bull-Bora Hansgrohe)
with Enric Mas (Movistar) a further 20 seconds back in third
It’s finely poised before Sunday morning’s finale in Barcelona
Matthew Brennan was only added to Visma-Lease a Bike's Volta a Catalunya roster as a replacement after a crash at Paris-Nice forced Jonas Vingegaard to change his own calendar
but the impressive display Brennan has put on this week has his team altering its own plan for where else to send him this year
The 19-year-old Brit stormed to his second stage win in Catalunya on Friday
staying at the front as wind blew the peloton to pieces and then out-sprinting Tibor Del Grosso (Alpecin-Deceuninck) and Pavel Bittner (Picnic PostNL) to win stage 5
"We will likely not race him in any more .2 races
only WorldTour and ProSeries races,” Visma development boss Robbert de Groot told Rouleur
“Catalunya wasn’t on his roster but because Jonas pulled out
so we said we can’t have a rider with a WorldTour victory and two second places in .2 races anymore
and National Championships before a summer break."
De Groot said that it is still a matter of "trial and error" determining how to facilitate Brennan's development, but also that Brennan is "extremely mature for his age." [<a href="https://www.rouleur.cc/en-us/blogs/the-rouleur-journal/he-blew-us-away-the-extraordinary-rapid-rise-of-british-super-talent-matthew-brennan?ref=escapecollective.com" rel="noreferrer">Rouleur</a>]
Arnaud De Lie (Lotto) has had a frustrating start to his 2025 campaign
and Belgian media are left wondering about the cause
According to Dirk De Wolf on Sporza's Wielerclub Wattage
Lotto team boss Dirk Demol points to De Lie spending too much time away from home
"Arnaud trained too much in Spain – two months – and less at home," De Wolf said. "De Lie likes to be with his cows too much. That is literally what Dirk Demol told me." [<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vaAXb1TUZf0&ref=escapecollective.com" rel="noreferrer">Wielerclub Wattage</a>]
Soudal-Quick-Step sports director Iljo Keisse can see Remco Evenepoel tackling the Cobbled Classics at some point in the future
We won't see that happening in 2025 as Evenepoel continues to build towards his season debut after being doored in the offseason
but perhaps the Olympic champion will one day help Soudal find its way back into contention in the races that the team once dominated
Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck) <a href="https://escapecollective.com/where-is-pogacar-when-you-need-him-van-der-poel-crushes-the-field-at-e3/" rel="noreferrer">crushed the field</a> at the E3 Saxo Classic
soloing away from a select group of Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek)
Casper Pedersen (Soudal-Quick-Step) and Aimé De Gendt (Cofidis) on the Oude Kwaremont with just under 40 km to go
He went on to win over a minute ahead of Pedersen with Ganna taking third over two minutes down
British riders continue to shine this week as Ben Tulett (Visma-Lease a Bike) won stage 4 of the Settimana Internazionale Coppi e Bartali
The 23-year-old attacked to win the hilly stage with Igor Arrieta (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) in second and Mark Donovan (Q36.5) in third
And in the aforementioned stage 5 of the Volta a Catalunya
where Matthew Brennan proved fastest in the finale
Juan Ayuso (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) picked up bonus seconds to take the race lead back from Primož Roglič (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe)
although only a single second separates them in the overall standings
Christophe Laporte has not raced since winning Paris-Tours last year
and he won't be starting his season in the near future either
He and his Visma-Lease a Bike team revealed on Thursday that he has been dealing with cytomegalovirus
one of many viruses (along with those that cause chickenpox and mononucleosis
"Right before I was supposed to go on an altitude training camp at the end of January
Tests showed that I have the cytomegalovirus," Laporte explained via a team statement
I’ve been recovering and have to take things day by day
The frustrating part is that you can’t predict how long it will take
you have an estimate of how long recovery will be before you can train again
taking confidence from the fact that his 2024 spring was also derailed by health issues
I won an Olympic medal and took victory in Paris-Tours," he said
The Professional Cycling Council (PCC) has approved a proposal to grant the Grand Tours an additional wildcard invitation
The fate of the measure now rests with the UCI Management Committee
The PCC also approved a measure to test gear ratio limitations
and that test could happen later this year if approved by the UCI Management Committee
a new paid premium tier for its Garmin Connect app
The subscription includes personalized “Active Intelligence”
and additional content from Garmin’s run and cycling coaches
Existing Garmin Connect features remain free
Connect+ is available with a 30-day free trial
Five years after winning Brugge-De Panne when Jolien D'Hoore was relegated
Lorena Wiebes (SD Worx-ProTime) crossed the line first to win her second title on Thursday
The Dutchwoman took a clear victory in a sprint
besting Chiara Consonni (Canyon-SRAM) and Elisa Balsamo (Lidl-Trek)
Primož Roglič (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) bounced back from being pipped by Juan Ayuso (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) on stage 3 by pipping Ayuso to win stage 4
Enric Mas (Movistar) took third on the day three seconds later
Accounting for bonus seconds secured during the stage
Roglič now leads the general classification but Ayuso sits on the same time in second
And at the Settimana Internazionale Coppi e Bartali
Jay Vine (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) soloed to victory in a lumpy third stage
with Magnus Sheffield (Ineos Grenadiers) leading Simone Velasco (XDS-Astana) and the rest of a chasing group over the line 25 seconds later
Juan Sebastian Molano (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) took the first WorldTour one-day win of his career on Wednesday at the Classic Brugge-De Panne
where the peloton was battered by a whopping four crashes inside the last 6 km
The race was building towards a sprint with the last survivor of the early breakaway in sight when the first of four pileups occurred
A second crash took out another swath of riders shortly thereafter
followed by a smaller third crash and then a dramatic fourth crash near the front of bunch with about 1 km to go
The falls took numerous favorites – including Tim Merlier (Soudal-Quick-Step) and Arnaud De Lie (Lotto) –&nbsp;out of contention
but Lidl-Trek's Jonathan Milan was still there when Molano made the savvy decision to launch from over 400 meters out
His rivals hesitated to join him in winding up to speed so far from the line
When Milan did finally start his own sprint
but Molano narrowly held on to take the victory
with Milan settling for second and Madis Mikhels (EF Education-EasyPost) taking third
Kaden Groves (Alpecin-Deceuninck) earned his second yellow card in a month on Tuesday at the Volta a Catalunya
putting him one yellow card away from getting the first suspension under the UCI's new yellow card rules
Groves picked up his first yellow card of the month for celebrating the victory of teammate Jasper Philipsen at Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne
and he received the second for shouldering another rider inside the final kilometers of stage 2 of the Volta a Catalunya
If he earns any more yellow cards between now and the end of the race
he will be suspended from racing for two weeks
Slightly outside our typical scope here at Escape Collective, Fox has just announced two more forks that round out its collection and build on the <a href="https://escapecollective.com/2025-fox-34-sl-fork-and-twin-stick-remote-review/">34 SL that we covered last week</a>
Both the new 36 SL and 36 feature the same sort of generative designed arch and crown as the 34 SL for added torsional rigidity and weight savings
in addition to increased bushing overlap for reduced friction
They also have a new type of air spring called "Glidecore" that helps to isolate the air shaft to reportedly run more smoothly under side bending loads
The 36 SL (US$700-$1150) covers the travel range from 120, 130, and 140 mm and weighs a claimed 1,755 g with a 140 mm Grip X damper. The more burly 36 (US$ 750-$1200) is available in 140, 150, and 160 mm travel and weighs a claimed 1920 g with a 160 mm Grip X damper. [<a href="https://ridefox.com/?ref=escapecollective.com" rel="noreferrer">Fox</a>]
UAE Team Emirates-XRG has confirmed that Tadej Pogačar will make his Paris-Roubaix debut in two and a half weeks
The three-time Tour de France winner is adjusting his Classics schedule to account for the change
dropping planned starts at E3 and Gent-Wevelgem as he adds Roubaix to his calendar
You can read more about it <a href="https://escapecollective.com/pogacar-roubaix-confirmed/" rel="noreferrer">here at Escape Collective</a>
a lightweight balance bike with a sustainability focus
and 1.75" tires all incorporate recycled materials
Giant says the proprietary rCarbon material used in the frame and fork cuts emissions by over 50% compared to conventional carbon production
The kid-sized saddle uses recycled foam material
the grips are made from repurposed polypropylene
The “kid-friendly” geometry is aimed at children between ages of 1.5 and 5
The bike is conceptually similar to Specialized’s Hotwalk Carbon, but more focused on sustainability and at US$500 / AU$899, cheaper. [<a href="https://www.giant-bicycles.com/au/pre-rcarbon?ref=escapecollective.com" rel="noreferrer">Giant</a>]
Italian shoe brand Sidi reported a 33.1% year-on-year revenue increase in 2024
reaching €31.7 million (approximately US$34.5 million)
The brand's net profit rose by €3.1 million
bringing the company back into the black with a profit of €0.4 million
2024 marked the brand’s first new collection under new ownership by the Italmobiliare Group
which acquired Sidi in 2022 for €66 million
Juan Ayuso bested Primož Roglič to win stage 3 and take the overall lead at the Volta a Catalunya
An attacking trio of Marc Soler (UAE Team Emirates-XRG)
and Lorenzo Fortunato (XDS-Astana) was caught in the finale
Mikel Landa (Soudal-Quick-Step) took third on the day
Over at the Settimana Internazionale Coppi e Bartali
Paul Double (Jayco-AlUla) ascended to the biggest win of his career on stage 2
The 28-year-old Brit attacked on the day's final climb and held off Jarno Widar (Lotto Development) and Diego Ulissi (XDS Astana) to take the stage victory and the race lead
Caleb Ewan got his 2025 season underway in style on Tuesday
winning his first race in Ineos Grenadiers kit on the opening stage of the Settimana Internazionale Coppi e Bartali
The 30-year-old Australian was starting his season a bit later than usual after an offseason complicated by his departure from Jayco-AlUla
but he left little doubt about his form in the Italian stage race
Stage 1 from Ferrara to Bondeno came down to a bunch kick
and Ewan stormed to a dominant victory by multiple bike lengths
Israel-Premier Tech's Oded Kogut took second with Jason Tesson (TotalEnergies) in third
Belgian police raided three houses in Herentals earlier this month in connection with a medical malpractice investigation with a possible doping element as well
Wielerflits reports that one of the houses searched belongs to a doctor formerly tied to a professional cycling team. At present, neither the identity of that team or the doctor have been made public. [<a href="https://www.wielerflits.nl/nieuws/huisarts-met-verleden-bij-profploeg-verdachte-in-onderzoek-naar-mogelijke-dopingpraktijken/?ref=escapecollective.com" rel="noreferrer">Wielerflits</a>]
health woes continue to plague Tao Geoghegan Hart
who did not start stage 2 of the Volta a Catalunya "following digestive troubles during stage 1," as Lidl-Trek announced on X
"Gutted to be out of Volta Catalunya before it had even really begun," Geoghegan Hart wrote on social media
"I spent much of the stage yesterday throwing up anything I tried to eat and after not being able to get any fuel in the tank since the finish yesterday
It was a week I was super looking forward to and had trained all through the winter toward."
Ethan Vernon (Israel-Premier Tech) pipped fellow Brit Matthew Brennan (Visma-Lease a Bike) to win stage 2 of the Volta a Catalunya
The stage was decided in a fast finish in Figueres
where Vernon took a clear lead into the closing meters of the sprint but with a hard-charging Brennan surging up on his right
Vernon held on to win with Brennan settling for second and Kaden Groves (Alpecin-Deceuninck) in third
continues to lead the general classification
Four years after it was launched in conjunction with the UCI with a plan to run for at least eight years
the UCI said that WBD has decided to "redefine its involvement in the promotion of track cycling" and will be closely involved in updating the Track Nations Cup
which will now (again) be known as the Track World Cup
the Track Champions League had given track racers a series of events to compete in across Europe
with season-long standings in men's and women's sprint and endurance categories
but troubles appeared this past season when it was scaled back to three venues and the series director announced his departure last month
the revamped Track World Cup will feature three rounds of Olympic track cycling events and an elimination race
track fans will have to settle for far fewer international racing events: The round of the Track Nations Cup that took place in Konya
earlier this month was the only event scheduled in the series this year
Jonas Vingegaard has told Danish outlet <a href="https://www.bt.dk/cykling/vingegaard-bryder-tavsheden-fik-hjernerystelse-til-paris-nice?ref=escapecollective.com" rel="noreferrer">BT</a> that he suffered a concussion in his crash on stage 5 of Paris-Nice and thus spent a week off the bike
and after the stage I got very nauseous and was incredibly tired
which continued for the next several days," he said
even though it took a little longer than hoped
You can read more about it <a href="https://escapecollective.com/vingegaard-suffered-a-concussion-in-his-paris-nice-crash/" rel="noreferrer">here at Escape Collective</a>
In the wake of his failed campaign for IOC President
David Lappartient has revealed that he will not be seeking another term as president of the French Olympic Committee (CNOSF)
Lappartient was elected to the CNOSF in the lead-up to the Paris Olympics
and saw France awarded hosting rights for the 2030 Winter Olympics
But Lappartient has now acknowledged that the commitment required by the role – which he held simultaneously to his position as UCI President
“While it has been possible to combine these commitments over these two years at the cost of a very substantial personal investment
apart from the exceptional circumstances of the last two years,” he wrote in a letter to the leadership of the CNOSF
Lappartient is eligible for a third term as UCI president from 2025-29
Although he has not yet disclosed whether he will seek re-election
the fact that he's stepping back from CNOSF would appear to point in that direction
Despite the best efforts of an attacking Tibor Del Grosso and a lurking Kaden Groves (Alpecin-Deceuninck)
Matthew Brennan (Visma-Lease a Bike) powered to victory on stage 1 of the Volta a Catalunya
Del Grosso launched a solo attack inside the final 2 km of the lumpy
and he held a few seconds' advantage into the final 500 meters
Brennan chased with Groves tucked into his wheel
ready for a sprint should the catch be made
Brennan closed down Del Grosso moments before the line
the Australian was unable to come around the 19-year-old Brit in the finale
Brennan took the victory – and the race lead –&nbsp;with Groves settling for second and Del Grosso in third
Cycling Esports World Champion Kate McCarthy made the most of her wildcard entry
delivering a dominant performance to win two events and finish runner-up in the third stage to claim the overall Zwift Games 2025 Championship convincingly
World Champion Jason Osborne powered to victory in the Epic Championship third stage
but it wasn’t enough to secure the overall title
whose wins in the first two stages and successful tactics in the finale earned him the top spot by a narrow two-point margin
Peloton tackles 195km from Bruges to De Panne in mid-week Classic
<a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.cyclingnews.com/classic-brugge-de-panne/" data-before-rewrite-localise="https://www.cyclingnews.com/classic-brugge-de-panne/">Classic Brugge-De Panne 2025 - Everything you need to know</a>
Hello and welcome to the 2025&nbsp;Classic Brugge-De Panne
Cycling&rsquo;s Flemish Week kicks off today at Classic Brugge-De Panne
the first of five cobbled classics in the space of just twelve days that culminates in the Tour of Flanders a week on Sunday
this is the one that&rsquo;s best suited to a sprint
as illustrated by an illustrious start list of fast finishers that includes Tim Merlier
The race starts in the picturesque town of Brugge
and the riders are currently sampling the sights as they make their way through the neutralised section
Though flat and lacking in cobbled sectors
Classic Brugge-De Panne isn&rsquo;t quite as simple a pure sprinter&rsquo;s paradise as it might seem
The exposed roads it takes place on make wind a major fact
with echelons often determining the outcome of the race
and there&rsquo;s a big name among them - Ant&oacute;nio Morgado of UAE Team Emirates
Morgado is with Victor Vercouillie (Team Flanders - Baloise)
Joren Bloem and Hartthijs de Vries (both Unibet Tietema Rockets)
those five appear set to be our break of the day
Morgado really does stick out from the other four in the break
Not only is he the only man from a first tier team
he&rsquo;s also got serious classics credentials
having placed fifth at the Tour of Flanders last year
and already won a couple in southern Europe (Gran Premio Castell&oacute;n and Figueira Champions Classic) this year
It&rsquo;s a bold move from UAE Team Emirates-XRG to get Morgado in the break
but understandable given their roster for this race
Though they have Juan Sebasti&aacute;n Molano for the sprint
he&rsquo;s only an outside favourite in a bunch finish up against such a strong field
their strength lies in powerful classics riders like Florian Vermeersch
so it makes sense for them to adopt an attacking approach - even if getting one of their top men in the day&rsquo;s break is particularly early
Morgado and the rest won&rsquo;t be coming back anytime soon - their lead has been allowed to grow up to 2-30
The weather plays a key role in how Classic Brugge-De Panne
Still it remains about 2-30 between the leaders and the peloton
In the event this does come down to a big sprint
with the three best sprinters in the world all facing off - Tim Merlier
That's the highest it's been so far.&nbsp;
it&rsquo;s Merlier&rsquo;s Soudal-QuickStep
Milan&rsquo;s Lidl-Trek and Olav Kooij&rsquo;s Visma-Lease a Bike teams who are contributing to the peloton&rsquo;s chase
but not Philipsen&rsquo;s Alpecin-Deceuninck
It could be that the Belgian still isn&rsquo;t feeling fit enough to consider himself a top favourite after his crash last week
in the white European Chamion&rsquo;s jersey) has the most wins under his belt so far this year
He&rsquo;s also got an exceptional record in Flemish semi-classics throughout his career
and won Classic Brugge-De Panne back in 2022
That leaves Olav Kooij down a teammate.&nbsp;
Here&rsquo;s an illustration of the kind of flat
swampy lands that the riders are making their way across as they travel from Bruges to the finishing circuit in De Panne
holding a lead of about 2-30 over the peloton.&nbsp;
the next most prolific sprinter of the season has been Jonathan Milan
pictured here being guided through the convoy by Lidl-Trek teammate Ed Theuns
including twice getting the better of Merlier at the UAE Tour
The leaders cross the finish line in De Panne for the first time
They will now embark on the first of 3 laps of a 43km circuit
which includes the De Moeren exposed section where echelons often form
The Dutchman&rsquo;s struggles continue having also pulled out of the last two races he featured in
While his rivals Merlier and Milan have 6 and 5 respectively
Jasper Philipsen has just one win to his name this year - though tellingly that win came at Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne
the only classics that all three of them have raced together this season until now
Philipsen might be sprinting slower than them at the moment
Philipsen&rsquo;s also aiming to become the first man since Eric Vanderaerden to win three consecutive editions of Classic Brugge De Panne
He won last year&rsquo;s race on the back of victory at Milan-SanRemo
but this year was dropped out of contention early in that race
apparently still suffering the aftereffects of a crash earlier in the week
Has he recovered enough to be competitive today
The gap between the five leaders and the peloton has come down a little more
Olav Kooij is probably the next best candidate for the win
The young Dutchman has three wins to his name this year
and was 2nd behind Philipsen at Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne
staying in contention to win a tough stage four at Tirreno-Adriatico
and placing eighth at Milan-SanRemo while Milan and Philipsen were dropped - not that he&rsquo;ll need those climbing legs on today&rsquo;s pan flat route
The gap's holding steady at about 2 minutes
as we approach the halfway point of the race.&nbsp;
as we near the dangerously exposed De Moeren section
Alexander Krstoff has got back into the peloton
having fallen back earlier to deal with a flat tyre
The Norwegian is closing in on 100 career wins
and is an outside favourite to add to that tally in a race he won all the way back in 2015 back when it was the &lsquo;3 Days of De Panne&rsquo; stage race
and consequently the gap has dropped to 1-30.&nbsp;
The peloton is all strung out as they hit the exposed roads
The break cross the finish line for the second time
Arnaud D&eacute;mare is also riding today on 97 career wins
He&rsquo;s at last showing some form this year with multiple runner-up finishes at Etoile de Bess&egrave;ges and Paris-Nice
though he&rsquo;s had a tougher time lately having pulled out of Paris-Nice and Bredene Koksijde Classic
Despite the presence of Morgado in the break
Visma-Lease a Bike still lead the peloton with Lidl-Trek and Soudal-QuickStep
Philipsen&rsquo;s Alpecin-Deceuninck remain conspicuous by their absence
The leaders now have only 1-15 on the peloton
Dylan Groenewegen is another former winner of Classic Brugge-De Panne riding today
but hasn&rsquo;t got up to speed this spring
having only once registered a top ten finish since a pair of runner-up finishes at AlUla Tour at the start of the year
Will any teams attack when we reach De Moeren again in a few kilometres
the wind might not be strong enough to encourage anyone
Vincenzo Albanese is hovering around the back of the peloton
It seems he must have been involved in a crash at some point
Visma lead the peloton as they enter De Moeren
but they're bunched together rather than strung out
The 5 breakaway riders are still up the road
though don't appear to have a chance of succeeding
Will Morgado attack at some point in an attempt to stay out longer
The gap dips to below 1 minute for the first time
as &nbsp;we enter the final 50km of the stage.&nbsp;
as they pass the finish line for the penultimate time
as Bahrain-Victorious' Daniel Skerl goes down
only just over a minute after the break.&nbsp;
The sprinters&rsquo; teams have this under control
but there could still be attacks in the peloton on this last lap
Some new teams are getting involved at the front of the peloton - Team Lotto and Bahrain-Victorious
They have Arnaud De Lie and Phil Bauhaus respectively
Normally De Lie would be a top favourite for a race like this
but his form is questionable having struggled for results since pulling out of the Volta ao Algarve last month
The presence of his Lotto teammates at the front suggest he might be feeling good today
It might not be that long until the catch is made.&nbsp;
Jayco-AlUla have now moved to the front and are leading the peloton
who is one of the pure sprinters who could benefit from this benin weather
Mechanical for Robin Froidevaux of Tudor Pro Cycling
Multiple teams battling for control at the front of the peloton
with Cofidis also getting involved for their young sprinter Milan Fretin
Jayco are the team that&rsquo;s most in control for now though
leading the peloton round some tight corners
There&rsquo;s more pain etched on the riders&rsquo; faces now
A few riders have dropped out the back of the peloton
The break have a mere 37 seconds on the peloton as they enter the final 20km.&nbsp;
It's been a long day for the five riders out front
Morgado was trying to follow a move from De Vries
Morgado isn't able to get onto De Vries' wheel
De Vries has a gap of a few seconds over the others
and the gap's getting bigger rather than smaller
who has proven the strongest of the five in the break
The peloton enters De Moeren for the last time
with a train featuring what seems to be all 7 of their riders
There's still 25 seconds between De Vries and the peloton
while the other breakaway riders are stranded in between
here comes Alpecin-Deceuninck at the front of the peloton
It&rsquo;s going to be intriguing to see what kind of sprinting form Philipsen has
Just 5km to go until the finish in De Panne
Another crash now - three Intermarche riders are down
De Lie and Demare are also down and out of contention
There are only 30 or so rider left in the peloton
There's been another crash in that group of 30
There's about 20 riders lefr in the main group
Molano starts his sprint very early.&nbsp;
It's a photo finish between Molano and Milan at the line..
It&rsquo;s hard to overstate just how messy a sprint that was
Those 2 late crashes left barely any riders left in contention at the end
&nbsp;Loads of top favourites were held up
and is slowly making his way to the finish
Molano took advantage of the mess to make his move early
and Milan was not quite able to catch him in time
and would have won were the finish line just a few metres later
who took the initiative with a great move with a long sprint
which turned out to be perfectly well-timed and caught Milan and co
Only about 20 riders were left in the peloton for the sprint
the rest all having been held up by the crashes
but they occured so close to the front that splits were caused.&nbsp;
This is the biggest one-day winner of Molano&rsquo;s career
The 30-year-old has won a couple of Vuelta stages in the past
but never a classic before of this calibre
We await to hear what the damage is in the peloton.&nbsp;
We&rsquo;ll be back in Belgium on Friday for the latest instalment of Holy Week - E3 Harelbeke
With Wout van Aert returning to take on Mathieu van der Poel
Classic Brugge-De Panne overviewDateWednesday March 26, 2025Start locationBrugge, BelgiumFinish locationDe Panne, BelgiumDistance195.6kmPrevious edition <a href="https://www.cyclingnews.com/races/classic-brugge-de-panne-2024/" data-before-rewrite-localise="https://www.cyclingnews.com/races/classic-brugge-de-panne-2024/">2024 Classic Brugge-De Panne</a>Previous winnerJasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck)
In 2023, <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.cyclingnews.com/riders/jasper-philipsen/" data-before-rewrite-localise="https://www.cyclingnews.com/riders/jasper-philipsen/">Jasper Philipsen</a>&nbsp;sprinted from the break of four to take the victory in a cold
rainy and windy day of racing while Olav Kooij took second and Yves Lampaert was third
Philipsen made it two victories in a row when he out-paced Tim Merlier and Danny van Poppel on a sunny
the 195km route crosses the windswept swamp plains of De Moeren
before heading for Veurne and De Panne for three loops of a 42.9km circuit
then the victor will more than likely be decided by a bunch sprint
Data powered by <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.firstcycling.com" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">FirstCycling</a>
The WorldTour peloton is in for an important Flemish week
The Classic Brugge - De Panne is traditionally a race for sprinters
Can Team Visma | Lease a Bike Women aim for a strong placement
Pile-ups take Tim Merlier and Olav Kooij out of race finale
It became a matter of last man standing at the Classic Brugge-De Panne on Wednesday
where Juan Sebasti&aacute;n Molano (UAE Team Emirates XRG) escaped a sequence of crashes to win from a reduced bunch
There were four crashes inside the final 5km at the Belgian one-day race
the last of which came inside the closing kilometre
and took Tim Merlier (Soudal Quick-Step) and Olav Kooij (Visma-Lease a Bike) out of contention
Molano sprung an early sprint with around 400m remaining
and held off Lidl-Trek's Jonathan Milan in a photo-finish
Madis Mihkels (EF Education-EasyPost) finished third
really fast," Molano told the TV cameras afterwards
"After the last corner I was put in a good position after the small road and I tried
I saw 500m and I took the corner really fast and I started the sprint
It was really long but I looked behind and no one was following me
"It's my first win of the season and also my biggest victory in a one-day race so it's really special," Molano continued
"There were many crashes today and I hope everyone is okay
A sprint was expected at the end of the race which was won by <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.cyclingweekly.com/racing/jasper-philipsen-21-things-you-didnt-know-about-him" data-before-rewrite-localise="https://www.cyclingweekly.com/racing/jasper-philipsen-21-things-you-didnt-know-about-him">Jasper Philipsen</a> (Alpecin-Deceuninck) for the last two years
but four crashes in the final 5km took many favourites out
but also Arnaud De Lie (Lotto) and Arnaud D&eacute;mare (Ark&eacute;a-B&amp;B Hotels)
Merlier and Kooij's crash came at a narrowing of the course just after the flamme rouge
it&rsquo;s always not good to give them a victory," Milan said post-race on TV
I wasn&rsquo;t expecting someone to come from behind
I thought it was really big and I hope that no-one is badly hurt
one of the more dangerous ones I have done
This made everyone a bit nervous and a bit dangerous
everyone wants to stay in the front and win
It is not the first time that race safety has been questioned this year, with <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.cyclingweekly.com/racing/teams-withdraw-from-french-stage-race-after-unacceptable-incidents-with-cars" data-before-rewrite-localise="https://www.cyclingweekly.com/racing/teams-withdraw-from-french-stage-race-after-unacceptable-incidents-with-cars">teams pulling out of the early-season &Eacute;toile de Bess&egrave;ges</a> after a series of incidents
Any serious incident at this stage of the season could prove impactful for the remainder of the Classics season
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offering race analysis and rider interviews
Tom likes it most when the road goes uphill
and actively seeks out double-figure gradients on his rides
His best result is 28th in a hill-climb competition
The Ghent-based practice Studio Moto has completed this viewpoint on a beach in De Panne
alongside the promenade that connects the Belgian municipality to Dunkirk (France)
The structure offers a dynamic stop along the beackwalk
symbolizing the connection between humans and nature as well as between two countries
references the sand dunes of the nearby Westhoek nature reserve
presents a series of straight stair sections connected at 108-degree angles by small landings between each and a larger lookout area at the top
High sides with steel balustrades provide protection and support
while the angled underside of the staircase sections form a faceted ring shape framing the landscape
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pln1S-gcyW4&amp;t=6s">Video</a>
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Recap of winners for the Women's WorldTour one-day race 2018-2024
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</a><a class="button-social   " href="https://www.cyclingnews.com" target="_self" aria-label="WEBSITE"></a><a class="button-social   " href="mailto:cyclingnews@cyclingnews.com" target="_self" aria-label="EMAIL"></a>Cyclingnews is the world's leader in English-language coverage of professional cycling
Started in 1995 by University of Newcastle professor Bill Mitchell
the site was one of the first to provide breaking news and results over the internet in English
The site was purchased by Knapp Communications in 1999
and owner Gerard Knapp built it into the definitive voice of pro cycling
major publishing house Future PLC has owned the site and expanded it to include top features
The site continues to be the most comprehensive and authoritative English voice in professional cycling
[&hellip;] How can we bring all these elements together and make them more tangible without imposing them and disturbing the place
The placement of the tower makes the location a link between the different elements,&rsquo;&nbsp;notes the studio.&nbsp;Also compared to a&nbsp;ring
Westerpunt symbolizes the connection between humans and nature or between two countries
Westerpunt observation point | image &copy; Studio MOTO
In plan, the Westerpunt observation point takes the shape of an elongated pentagon, constructed from equal stair segments connected at an angle of 108&deg;. Between the segments, Studio MOTO (see more <a href=https://studiomoto.be target=_blank rel=noopener>here</a>) embeds a landing and resting point
each offering a unique view of the surroundings
The stairs also serve as the &lsquo;pillars&rsquo; of the bridge
Both the pillars and foundation ensure that the structure can cantilever over the beach and the sea
an additional bench is provided as a resting point with a view through the concrete structure
looping shape&nbsp;distinguishes the observation tower from its surroundings and&nbsp;arouses interest and curiosity without dominance
thus becoming a benchmark and a destination
It breaks the linearity of the promenade and expands the walking experience with its multidirectional aesthetic
the path continues over the bridge as if one is climbing a high sand dune
&lsquo;The transparency through the structure acts as a lens
focusing on what lies behind and creating a link to the place one is walking towards
from De Panne to Dunkirk and vice versa,&rsquo;&nbsp;continue the architects
image &copy; <a href=https://www.michielhendryckx.be target=_blank rel=noopener>Michiel Hendryckx</a>
partly thanks to the large nature reserve and the dunes that open up to the beach
This sets it apart from other Belgian seaside towns
As the dunes are essentially the city&rsquo;s main asset
the construction of Westerpunt closely aligns with these natural formations in terms of scale
This visual experience takes a turning point&nbsp;at high tide
when the observation point becomes partially submerged in the sea
Studio MOTO sculpted Westerpunt entirely out of concrete
making its texture and color closely aligned with the coastal surroundings &mdash; especially the promenade &mdash; and highly resistant to the very aggressive sea climate of De Panne
Concrete also requires limited maintenance and emulates a robustness required for public structures
should the dunes be allowed to expand and stretch around and under the structure
Westerpunt can then stand independently on its own
architect:&nbsp;<a href=https://studiomoto.be target=_blank rel=noopener>Studio MOTO</a> | <a href=https://www.instagram.com/studio.moto/ target=_blank rel=noopener>@studio.moto</a>
client: Municipality of De Panne and the Province of West-Flanders
stability study: <a href=https://mouton.eu/en/ target=_blank rel=noopener>mouton engineering</a> | <a href="https://www.instagram.com/mouton_structureel_ontwerp/?hl=en" target=_blank rel=noopener>@mouton_structureel_ontwerp</a>
contractor: <a href=https://www.furnibo.be/nl target=_blank rel=noopener>Furnibo</a>
AXOR presents three bathroom concepts that are not merely places of function
but destinations in themselves — sanctuaries of style
Tim Merlier leads our team at the one-day race
his first outing since taking two stage wins at Paris-Nice
The second World Tour event of the season held on Belgian soil
the Classic Brugge-De Panne is scheduled this week
when the peloton takes on a 195.6km flat course whose main highlight should be De Moeren
De Moeren is known for its merciless crosswinds that can wreak havoc
especially as it features three times on the route
Tim Merlier will lead Soudal Quick-Step at the Belgian one-day race
where he comes after an excellent start to the season
which has seen him pick up a total of six victories
Luke Lamperti &ndash; who came close to victory last week at the Bredene Koksijde Classic
where he finished runner-up &ndash; Bert Van Lerberghe
Warre Vangheluwe and Jordi Warlop are the six Soudal Quick-Step riders who will support the European Champion this Wednesday
we will head almost straight away to De Panne and cover three laps there
This race is usually a windy one and it remains to be seen if it will be the same again this year
the weather says we should have a pretty quiet day
There are a lot of strong fast men at the start
We go there with a very good team and we are confident in our chances of fighting for the win&rdquo;
said Soudal Quick-Step sports director Iljo Keisse
Photo credit: &copy;Dario Belingheri / Getty Images
&#x27;A big headbutt from Jonathan Milan!’ – Watch mad moment at Classic Brugge-De Panne
Molano edges Classic Brugge-De Panne victory following ‘messiest final 2k’
Road race | MenBruges → De Panne / 195.6 kmCompleted</a>AdvertisementAdvertisementHow was your experience today
&quot;A big headbutt from Jonathan Milan!&quot; – Watch the mad moment at Classic Brugge-De Panne 2025