Preview. The spring classics not only offer opportunities to the specialists but also the sprinters! The Classic Brugge-De Panne is designed for the fast men and is one of the few World Tour races where a sprinter is bound to win. The 2024 edition features Jasper Philipsen, Tim Merlier, Sam Welsford, Mark Cavendish and many more of the world's best.
The 201-kilometer race takes a traditional route into the Atlantic sea. It's now a fully sprinter-guided classic and the profile shows it. There are only around 250 meters of climbing throughout the whole day, not a single climb, no cobblestones, nothing but pan-flat roads that will set up for a bunch sprint in De Panne.
It is a day with very little to detail. After the start in Brugge the riders head towards the southwest until reaching De Panne. Then, the riders take on three laps of a long circuit in the town around the towns of Koksijde and Veurne.
Pan-flat and wide roads. Perfect leadout territory, all sprinter teams will need to study the final kilometers in full detail. The riders will also have the chance to practice throughout the day. The finale is not technical but not easy, they will leave the main road with just 600 meters to go and go into an urban fast road. It will be a relatively narrow finale with a slight right-hander with 300 meters to go.
The Weather
Surprisingly, very little wind. The riders should have a rather calm day on the bike with the absence of echelons this year... This makes the chances of a bunch sprint almost undeniably certain, and there is a relative tailwind in the run-up to the line.
The Favourites
Jasper Philipsen - Winner of Milano-Sanremo and a stage at Tirreno-Adriatico, it is safe to say Philipsen's form is here. This sprinter is so strong that I feel like the tougher the race is, the more it'll benefit him actually despite also considering him the best sprinter in the world right now. But in this terrain it'll be a very balanced affair, everyone should arrive fresh and the finish and it will be a chaotic finale. He does not have a luxurious leadout but is a master of positioning, definitely a winning contender.
Tim Merlier - Tim Merlier did not succeed at Tirreno-Adriatico, but he did win six times already this season. He's won three times at the UAE Tour where the profiles were also pan-flat and the field was incredibly strong, as is the case here. However in their most recent duel, Merlier beat Philipsen directly at the Nokere Koerse and enters this race virtually in the same position.
Sam Welsford - The big contender to beat them in my opinion is Sam Welsford, but that does depend on his positioning. BORA have the best leadout in the peloton and they are here with Ryan Mullen and Danny van Poppel. The team also has Jordi Meeus at the start line who is unsure to be doing leadout work or going for his chances, Nevertheless if the team can (which is quite possible) get Welsford in pole-position for the sprint then it is quite possible that the Australian will beat the rest of the competition.
Arvid de Kleijn - Arvid de Kleijn is in my opinion at the same level as Welsford currently, and having won at Paris-Nice he has definitely already established himself among the best. However it is his consistency that impresses the most, but Tudor have built a strong leadout this year which is so far working very smoothly. The non-World Tour outfit could surprise again.
Being a flat and World Tour classic, understandibly it's flooded with sprinters. That is the case here definitely, with recent winners such as Gerben Thijssen and Phil Bauhaus coming in as very dangerous men if they find themselves in the right position. More experienced sprinters such as Arnaud Démare, Fernando Gaviria, Fabio Jakobsen, Dylan Groenewegen, Juan Sebastián Molano and Pascal Ackermann are all very much podium candidates on the day.
Furthermore we have plenty fast men who will seek a result but not many will have that luxury. Dozens honestly could do it, depending on their positioning into the sprint, but obviously a few names pop out who are expected to lead their teams: Mark Cavendish, Stanislaw Aniolkowski, Milan Fretin, Matthew Walls, Simone Consonni, Edward Theuns, Milan Menten, Davide Persico, Matteo Moschetti and Jason Tesson.
Prediction Classic Brugge-De Panne 2024:
*** Jasper Philipsen, Tim Merlier
** Arvid de Kleijn, Sam Welsford
* Gerben Thijssen, Arnaud Démare, Phil Bauhaus, Fabio Jakobsen, Fernando Gaviria, Dylan Groenewegen, Juan Sebastián Molano, Pascal Ackermann
Pick: Tim Merlier
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