"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.

"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."