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.
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.
