Classic Brugge-De Panne 2024

Classic Brugge-De Panne 2024 overview

The Classic Brugge-De Panne will take place on Wednesday, 20 March in the coastal region of West Flanders, Belgium. Historically, Brugge-De Panne is a less-heralded Belgian WorldTour Classic as it used to be a three-day stage race just before the Tour of Flanders, before it was reconfigured into a one-day test for the sprinters in 2018 and moved a week earlier. Nevertheless, even if the parcours are pan-flat, the race often finds a way to be exciting when the weather is suitably ‘Belgian’, with echelons and selections likely as the wind rips from the North Sea.

Last year was one of those editions. While recent Milan-San Remo victor Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck) won in the end, a likely outcome even in a big bunch sprint, he won it after an attacking race that saw only 16 riders finish within three minutes of the winner. For a race that accumulates a grand total of 268 metres of climbing, gaps like that are gigantic.

Classic Brugge-De Panne 2024 key information

When is the Classic Brugge-De Panne 2024? The Classic Brugge-De Panne will take place on Wednesday, 20 March.

Where does the Classic Brugge-De Panne 2024 take place? The race takes place in West Flanders, Belgium with the finish near the North Sea in De Panne.

Who won the Classic Brugge-De Panne in 2023? Jasper Philipsen won the 2023 race ahead of Olav Kooij and Yves Lampaert.

When did Classic Brugge-De Panne start? The first Classic Brugge-De Panne was in 1977.

Who won the first Classic Brugge-De Panne? Roger Rosiers won the first edition of the race ahead of Yvon Bertin and Guido Van Sweevelt.

Who has the most wins at the Classic Brugge-De Panne? Eric Vanderaerden has the most wins in the race with five victories.

Classic Brugge-De Panne 2024 route: a pan flat classic for the sprinters

The Classic Brugge-De Panne, as the name suggests, runs from the city of Brugge to the seaside town of De Panne for a series of large finishing laps where the majority of the racing takes place. Beyond the 201km of length, the course lacks any other concrete set pieces as the race has virtually no climbing throughout the entire parcours with less than 300 metres of climbing the full way around.

Where the race is tricky is in the constant change of direction on the 43.9km lap. The men’s race takes on three full laps with countless twists and turns throughout the farms and towns of the De Panne, Koksijde and Veurne while the wind from the frigid North Sea can cause further havoc. If it does come down to a sprint, the tricky urban road furniture and narrow streets of the Belgian seaside towns make for a chaotic finish when there are more than a few riders left to sort out the finish.

Classic Brugge-De Panne 2024 contenders and preview

There might not be a race on the calendar more suited to one particular type of rider than the Classic Brugge-De Panne, which is perfectly suited to Belgian sprinters. Belgian riders all cut their teeth in Belgian kermesse racing which normally consists of 5-15km laps of an urban circuit. While the Brugge-De Panne has a much longer lap, the sensations will be similar for those riders.

The last two winners of the race, for instance, were Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck) and Tim Merlier (Soudal Quick-Step), the top two Belgian sprinters in the peloton – or indeed the top sprinters of any nationality. Both riders are set to start the race and will be the big favourites as both have started the season well, with Merlier showing strength in the big bunch sprints and last week’s Nokere Koerse while Philipsen took the first big crown of the Spring with his win at Milan-San Remo.

Jordi Meeus (Bora-Hansgrohe), Milan Menten (Lotto Dstny) and Gerben Thijssen (Intermarché-Wanty) are the other quick men from Belgium who will be hoping to score a win on home soil. Beyond the Belgian favourites are a slew of top sprinters from around the globe including Arvid de Kleijn (Tudor Pro Cycling), Phil Bauhaus (Bahrain Victorious), Arnaud Démare (Arkéa-B&B Hotels), Fabio Jakobsen (dsm-firmenich PostNL), Dylan Groenewegen (Jayco AlUla), Fernando Gaviria (Movistar) and Juan Sebastian Molano (UAE Team Emirates).

Mark Cavendish (Astana Qazaqstan) will also be at the race as he hopes to get his season back on track after a string of disappointing DNFs, including missing the time cut at Tirreno-Adriatico. The Manx Missile will be joined by his trusted lead-out man Michael Mørkøv in hopes that they can right the season’s wrongs on their way to the main goal of the season this summer at the Tour de France.

With almost all the big teams boasting line-ups that include sprinters, it's hard to envision the race going in a different direction unless the weather really brings havoc. A couple of riders who might be there to upset the apple cart are Anthony Turgis (TotalEnergies), Madis Mihkels (Intermarché-Wanty), Stefan Bissegger (EF Education-EasyPost) and Laurence Pithie (Groupama-FDJ).

Which teams are racing the 2024 Classic Brugge-De Panne?

The Classic Brugge-De Panne is a WorldTour race, however, since the race is a new addition to the calendar not all of the WorldTour teams are required to show up. This year there are 15 WorldTour teams set to line up in Brugge while eight ProTour teams will fill out the rest of the 23-team peloton.

WorldTour

• Alpecin-Deceuninck
• Arkéa-B&B Hotels
• Astana Qazaqstan
• Bahrain-Victorious
• Bora-Hansgrohe
• Cofidis
• dsm-firmenich PostNL
• EF Education-EasyPost
• Groupama-FDJ
• Intermarché-Wanty
• Jayco AlUla
• Lidl-Trek
• Movistar
• Soudal Quick-Step
• UAE Team Emirates

ProTour teams

• Israel-Premier Tech
• Lotto Dstny
• Uno-X Mobility
• Bingoal WB
• Flanders-Baloise
• Tudor Pro Cycling
• Q36.5 Pro Cycling
• TotalEnergies

What happened at the Classic Brugge-De Panne in 2023?

Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck) won the Brugge-De Panne in atrocious conditions that saw only 16 riders finish within three minutes of the Belgian sprinter. Olav Kooij (Visma-Lease a Bike) finished a close second to Philipsen in a hard-fought breakaway sprint, while Yves Lampaert (Soudal Quick-Step), a former winner of the race, came in third.

Classic Brugge-De Panne history

While it has been run previously under several names, Driedaagse De Panne was situated as the final warm-up to the Tour of Flanders, giving the riders three days of racing in the area before the big test on the weekend. With that legacy, De Panne saw victories from riders like Sean Kelly, Johan Museeuw, Sylvain Chavanel and Alexander Kristoff. Since the race has pivoted to a one-day race, it was also moved a week earlier, giving the race a different feel. Now, the race revolves around pure sprinters, powerful Classics riders and anyone who might be crafty in the wind.

Classic Brugge-De Panne previous winners

2023 Jasper Philipsen (BEL) Alpecin-Deceuninck

2022 Tim Merlier (BEL) Alpecin-Fenix

2021 Sam Bennett (IRL) Deceuninck-QuickStep

2020 Yves Lampaert (Bel) Deceuninck-QuickStep

2019 Dylan Groenewegen (Ned) Jumbo-Visma

2018 Elia Viviani (Ita) Quick-Step Floors

2017 Philippe Gilbert (Bel) Quick-Step Floors

2016 Lieuwe Westra (Ned) Astana Pro Team

2015 Alexander Kristoff (Nor) Team Katusha

2014 Guillaume Van Keirsbulck (Bel) Omega Pharma–Quick-Step

2013 Sylvain Chavanel (Fra) Omega Pharma–Quick-Step

2012 Sylvain Chavanel (Fra) Omega Pharma–Quick-Step

2011 Sébastien Rosseler (Bel) Team RadioShack

2010 David Millar (GBr) Garmin–Transitions

2009 Frederik Willems (Bel) Liquigas

2008 Joost Posthuma (Ned) Rabobank

2007 Alessandro Ballan (Ita) Lampre–Fondital

2006 Leif Hoste (Bel) Discovery Channel

2005 Stijn Devolder (Bel) Discovery Channel

2004 George Hincapie (USA) U.S. Postal Service

2003 Raivis Belohvošciks (Lat) Marlux-Wincor Nixdorf

2002 Peter Van Petegem (Bel) Lotto–Adecco

2001 Nico Mattan (Bel) Cofidis

2000 Viatcheslav Ekimov (Rus) U.S. Postal Service

1999 Peter Van Petegem (Bel) TVM-Farm Frites

1998 Michele Bartoli (Ita) Asics-C.G.A.

1997 Johan Museeuw (Bel) Mapei-GB

1996 Viatcheslav Ekimov (Rus) Rabobank

1995 Michele Bartoli (Ita) Mercatone Uno–Saeco

1994 Fabio Roscioli (Ita) Brescialat–Ceramiche Refin

1993 Eric Vanderaerden (Bel) WordPerfect–Colnago–Decca

1992 Frans Maassen (Ned) Buckler–Colnago–Decca

1991 Jelle Nijdam (Ned) Buckler–Colnago–Decca

1990 Erwin Nijboer (Ned) Stuttgart

1989 Eric Vanderaerden (Bel) Panasonic-Isostar

1988 Eric Vanderaerden (Bel) Panasonic-Isostar

1987 Eric Vanderaerden (Bel) Panasonic-Isostar

1986 Eric Vanderaerden (Bel) Panasonic

1985 Jean-Luc Vandenbroucke (Bel) La Redoute

1984 Bert Oosterbosch (Ned) Panasonic

1983 Cees Priem (Ned) TI-Raleigh

1982 Gerrie Knetemann (Ned) TI-Raleigh

1981 Jan Bogaert (Bel) Vermeer Thijs

1980 Sean Kelly (Irl) Splendor-Admiral

1979 Gustave Van Roosbroeck (Bel) IJsboerke-Warncke

1978 Guido Van Sweevelt (Bel) IJsboerke-Gios

1977 Roger Rosiers (Bel) Frisol-Thirion-Gazelle

Explore more about the Classic Brugge-De Panne by clicking on the tabs above.

Major Races

See All

Date	Event	Class
29 Jun - 21 Jul	Tour de France	2.UWT
12 Aug - 18 Aug	Tour de France Femmes	2.WWT
4 May - 26 May	Giro d'Italia	2.UWT
28 Apr - 5 May	Vuelta España Femenina	2.WWT

Provided by FirstCycling