The Women’s Classic Brugge De Panne is a borderline pan-flat race in the top northwest corner of Belgium. If the wind is blowing in from the North Sea then the race is perfect for being broken up into small groups who are pounded by the relentless gusts. We saw that last year when only the strongest riders were able to stay at the front of the race. Pfeiffer Georgi won by attacking favourites Lorena Wiebes and Elisa Balsamo who had faster finishes on paper.
They’re not alone, Grace Brown has also won here solo in the wind but if the weather isn’t playing then it boils down to a fairly formulaic sprint finish. The conditions for the 2024 race also look to be calm, a speed of about 12km/h is enough to cause minor issues but not to split the peloton in too great a fashion.
Race Preview can be found here.
Live Coverage
The race starts at 12:00pm but won’t be live until 2:15pm GMT
Live on Eurosport/Discovery across Europe
Flobikes in the USA/Canada
VRT1 in Belgium (available freely online but VPN needed)
