
It is placed as the first Belgian World Tour classic of the final cobbled classics block. Over the years many changes have happened to the De Panne event, now a one-day race, and the routes for this year's edition have been revealed.
The men's race is set to be pan-flat with no cobbled sectors throughout it's 206 kilometers. The classic has effectively made the switch to being a mixed race between the classics experts and the sprinters into a pure sprinter race which, at the height of the spring, should attract some of the biggest names in the peloton. The race is frequently blown up by strong crosswinds and that's definitely a possibility, as the riders go from Brugge into the De Panne/Koksijde area which is known by it's fierce gusts all year long.
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The Women's race will have smaller distance naturally counting in with 161 kilometers. The route is exactly the same, but whilst the men's peloton will tackle three laps of the local circuit, the women's peloton will have two.
Last year the men's race was won by Sam Bennett who won the bunch sprint ahead of Jasper Philipsen and Pascal Ackermann, before his health issues popped out. The women's race had a completely different finale as Team BikeExchange's Grace Brown soloed to race victory, with recent Le Samyn winner Emma Norsgaard and Jolien d'Hoore completing the podium.

Rúben SilvaEditor-in-Chief
A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
Beyond editorial work, he has been closely involved in the expansion and coordination of CyclingUpToDate’s wider network, helping establish and support sister platforms across multiple languages. This includes ongoing collaboration with CiclismoAlDia (Spanish), CiclismoAtual (Portuguese), WielrennenUpToDate (Dutch), and RadsportAktuell (German), contributing to a shared editorial vision and consistent international coverage.
He also helps oversee editorial governance across the network, setting standards for accuracy and consistency and coordinating updates or corrections when needed.
Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
Within 18 months of launch, he helped grow CyclingUpToDate’s English-language platform into one of the most-read cycling news websites, built entirely from the ground up. As both a professional journalist and lifelong cycling enthusiast, his focus remains on delivering accurate, timely, and well-contextualized coverage.
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In de #MinervaClassic Brugge-De Panne op woensdag 23 maart trekken de renners over een volledig West-Vlaams parcours van Brugge naar De Panne. Scherprechter in de drie lokale rondes rond De Panne wordt opnieuw de passage door De Moeren! minervaclassic.be
Krijgen we op woensdag 24 maart in de Exterioo Women's Classic Brugge-De Panne opnieuw een sprint op de Zeelaan of wordt het peloton uiteengeranseld in De Moeren? Bekijk hier het parcoursplan ⤵️ exteriooclassic.be #ExteriooClassic
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