Live: 2025 Classic Brugge-De Panne Women

Mathew Mitchell

Published on March 27, 2025
in Women's Cycling

Since joining the calendar in 2018, Brugge-De Panne Women has consistently provided early-season drama—with tight finishes, chaotic sprints, and the ever-present threat of crosswinds. While it shares geography with the cobbled classics, its flat parcours and straight-line finish have given it a reputation more akin to a springtime sprinters’ championship. On the right day, it’s all about timing, precision, and patience.

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That said, not every edition has followed the expected script. In 2021, Grace Brown’s storm-lashed solo effort proved that the flat profile doesn’t always guarantee a bunch sprint. Pfeiffer Georgi’s attack in the wind in 2023 had a similar feel—an opportunistic move that derailed the sprinters’ plans and denied Lorena Wiebes a shot at a clean finish. But those races were shaped by brutal crosswinds and committed team tactics. This year? That looks far less likely.

Perfect weather for a textbook sprint

With barely a breeze forecast—just 14-18km/h—and clear skies overhead, there’s little chance of the peloton being ripped apart before the finish in De Panne. It means we’re more likely to see the classic Brugge-De Panne Women formula: steady control from the top sprint teams, a reduced or fully intact bunch, and a high-speed run to the line. Positioning, patience, and the last 300 metres will decide everything.

There’s always the temptation to over-analyse the crosswind threat in De Panne, especially given the race’s history of late splits and surprise attacks. But this edition is shaping up to be a return to its most typical form—fast, flat, and fiercely contested in the final kilometre. For the pure sprinters, that’s great news. For those who thrive in chaos, they’ll need to hope for nerves, crashes, or lapses in concentration to find opportunity. Either way, this should be a day for speed.

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Startlist