Profile Minerva Classic Brugge-De Panne 2022

The Minerva Classic Brugge-De Panne will be the first race of the final block of cobbled classics and it is set to be one for the sprinters. It is a race with a lot of history and a lot of recent changes to it's format, which currently consists in a flat race in West Vlaanderen.  

The route is exactly what you’d expect from a coastal Belgian ride. 232 meters of climbing throughout 206 kilometers of racing which means the riders won’t find a single road that resembles a climb. It is as flat as it can be, but that may pose an issue as the wind is very strong in the region and the roads are exposed, a completely different challenge.

The peloton will head towards De Panne where it will ride through 3 laps of a final circuit around the nearby towns. The finale, which is expected to be in a sprint, will be technical. The final straight is 750 meters long, however from 3 kilometers to go to the flamme rouge, the roads are rather narrow and windy. There will be a big run-up to this residential area, but the final straight is at the same time big enough to regain a bit of position, but leadout will be crucial.