The back-and-forth between Italy and Belgium wraps up this Thursday with Classic Brugge-De Panne, marking the start of a three-race build-up towards the pinnacle of Belgian cycling in just two Sundays time: the Ronde van Vlaanderen.
Canyon//SRAM Zondacrypto have named their starting line up for the race. The team will field Zoe Bäckstedt, Chiara Consonni, Nastya Kolesava, Soraya Paladin, Maria Martins, and Maike van der Duin to face terrain that contrasts sharply with the other Flandrien classics.
Chiara Consonni has ridden the race six times, with her best result being 4th place last year. This race is always a target for her, and she showed promising form with a podium in GP Oetingen two weeks ago. Consonni said of the race: “I’m really excited to start this block of Flanders Classics. It’s my goal for this first part of the season and I’ll also be really happy to sprint again because at UAE Tour, they were not my best. I’m ready also to work with the girls for the leadout, and I think we can do something great. I’m really motivated for all of my upcoming races.”
Thursday’s race favours fast, and technically strong riders, with a flat parcours and taking the riders close to Belgium’s wind-swept coastline.
Brugge-De Panne hasn’t always followed a typical bunch kick script. While there are no Flemish cobbles, crosswinds are the game-changer, often exploding the peloton into countless groups.
The 154 kilometre course is essentially identical to last year, starting in the Markt Square of Brugge with a 65km lead-in to a 43km circuit that is repeated twice. This circuit showcases many quintessential Belgian elements – precarious wheel-sucking cracks along the centre-line, roads running beside canals, meandering passages through settlements like Veurne and Koksijde, and, most crucially, narrow roads offering little shelter.
In previous editions, the most infamous section of the circuit has been De Moeren (the moors), a 4km dead-straight road through gale-battered agricultural land. With De Moeren coming 11km from the finish on each lap, this well-known stretch has the power to tear the peloton apart and turn the race on its head, at one point or the next.
If the wind stays calm, the race leans towards a more predictable sprint finish. Current forecasts predict a fine, cloudy day with a high of 13°C and a gentle breeze. Winds just above 10kph aren’t enough to guarantee echelons, but with a direct crosswind along De Moeren and other classic Belgian race dynamics in play, teams may still take their chances.
