Lorena Wiebes ahead of Classic Brugge-De Panne WE - "Expect a first real showdown with Charlotte Kool and Elisa Balsamo"

With Lorena Wiebes, Charlotte Kool, and Elisa Balsamo all in attendance, the Classic Brugge-De Panne WE on Thursday promises to be a challenging and exciting race for the sprinters.

"This is one of the few real sprinters' races. Maybe it will be the first real showdown with Charlotte Kool and Elisa Balsamo. I hope to win here because this race was marked on my calendar in advance," Wiebes told Cyclingnews.

While the wind poses a challenge for all competitors, Wiebes is not intimidated by it. "Brugge-De Panne is going to be a great race, as I saw on Veloviewer that we'll get full on the wind with speeds of up to 30 kilometres per hour. So spectacle guaranteed with echelons, no doubt.”

The trio has already competed against each other before, with the first showdown taking place at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad. The UAE Tour saw former teammates Wiebes and Kool go up against each other in a test of speed for the first time. "I expect a first real showdown with Charlotte Kool and Elisa Balsamo. The fans have been waiting for it for a while. Brugge-De Panne is one of the few really sprint races, except when the wind is on the side in De Moeren. Then it immediately gets a lot tougher, but I like to see that too,” concluded Wiebes.