"Arnaud Demare pushed me into the ditch" - Danny van Poppel outshines BORA's sprinters to podium at Classic Brugge-De Panne despite late incident

Although BORA - hansgrohe took to the startline of Classic Brugge-De Panne 2024 with Sam Welsford and Jordi Meeus, it was Danny van Poppel who impressed in the final sprint, finishing a close 3rd.

A short while before the final sprint however, van Poppel was forced off a narrow road and onto the grass. Although he managed to stop himself from hitting the deck, the 30-year-old Dutchman was forced to frantically work his way back up through the convoy of cars to the front of the peloton in time for the finale.

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"Arnaud Demare pushed me into the ditch. I think it was him," van Poppel reflects of the incident in his post-race interview with Eurosport. "In the end, that's cycling and everybody had to fight today I think."

"I know I can handle the bike quite well when it's hectic and they told me I had to do the sprint so I just gave it a go," he continues. "The team had pulled all day so even if it was just a top-10, we could've gone home with an okay feeling. I didn't expect a podium! And the two guys in front of me (Jasper Philipsen & Tim Merlier ed.) were both world-class sprinters so there's no shame being third."

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