Lorena Wiebes delivered a masterclass in timing and power to win the Classic Brugge–De Panne Women for a second time after winning in 2020. The European champion took her sixth victory of the 2025 season with a long sprint on the Zeelaan, comfortably holding off Chiara Consonni and Elisa Balsamo to cap a fast and tense edition of the race.
From the moment the peloton rolled away from Bruges under clear skies and light winds, it was clear that a bunch sprint was likely. With De Moeren offering little in the way of crosswind disruption this year, teams were able to keep things largely under control across the 152.7km route.
A late solo move from 18-year-old Cat Ferguson briefly threatened to spoil the script. The junior world time trial champion attacked with 36km to go and quickly built a lead that hovered around 10 to 20 seconds. Her effort animated what had been a calm race up to that point, but the sprint teams never panicked. Lidl-Trek, Uno-X and SD Worx-Protime kept her within reach and finally brought her back with just 2.5km remaining.
There had been some drama earlier, with Consonni and Maike van der Duin going down in a crash near the start of the final lap. Both Canyon SRAM riders were able to rejoin the peloton, and the race remained largely intact despite further falls disrupting the group in the final 10 kilometres.
Lidl-Trek leads, Wiebes launches
As expected, Lidl-Trek brought the peloton through the final corners with Elisa Balsamo positioned well on the wheel of Ilaria Sanguinetti, but it was Wiebes who judged her effort perfectly. With Barbara Guarischi delivering her into position, Wiebes sat just behind Balsamo and patiently waited for the moment to strike.
“I needed to start my sprint quite early so it was a bit of a gamble,” said Wiebes at the finish. “It’s slightly uphill here and I could feel someone coming from behind—like a shadow—so I went full gas to the line.”
That shadow was Chiara Consonni, who surged from behind and made up ground quickly in the final metres but couldn’t quite close the gap. Balsamo, who had started her sprint from the front, faded slightly and settled for third.
Wiebes’ decision to take Balsamo’s wheel—rather than follow a teammate—proved decisive. “Actually, it was better compared to yesterday because one team really took the lead,” she explained. “Lidl-Trek still had the full lead-out, and then it’s a bit more in one line. On the smaller roads, that’s better.”
Calm under pressure
Wiebes credited her team’s composure and her own focus in the final few hundred metres. “The whole race was quite nervous and this final is always like that. But I had Barbara [Guarischi] in front of me and she brought me into a good position, so that was good.”
Despite being boxed in briefly by Nienke Veenhoven and Lara Gillespie, Wiebes found the gap she needed between Balsamo and Veenhoven, opened her sprint at 200 metres, and never looked back.
It’s now two WorldTour wins in six days for the 25-year-old, after her victory at the rebooted Sanremo Women last weekend. She will have a chance to bring up her 100th pro win at Gent–Wevelgem on Sunday.
“Hopefully there’s a lot of wind there,” she smiled. “We’ve got a strong team for that.”
Chiara Consonni, second on the day, was pleased despite just missing out: “I think I started my sprint a bit late. I came with more speed from the back but it was too late. Still, I’m happy with second place and to start the Flanders Classics with a podium.”
Elisa Balsamo, third, said her legs weren’t at their best: “Honestly the team was perfect today, it was the best lead-out we could do. I knew where I needed to sprint, but the first two riders were just stronger.”
2025 Classic Brugge-De Panne Women result
Results powered by FirstCycling.com
Main photo credit: Getty
