Brugge - De Panne Classic

The Flemish campaign resumes for the Movistar Team after the ‘stop’ marked by Paris-Nice and Tirreno-Adriatico, and it carries on with a new race in the calendar – new, if you leave aside the stagerace which preceded this new-format classic, created to open room to the ladies in 2018. When it comes to climbs and cobbles, the Driedaagse Brugge – De Panne (its name means ‘three days’, a souvenir from the past since it’s now two one-day classics) is the least demanding of the cobbled classics, even if the strong pace and the wind won’t make for an easy race at all.

All cobblestones are far from the finish: the five sections are located out of the final 50km, comprising a circuit (two laps) near the coast. The most demanding section will be halfway through the race, with five hills that include the consecutive ascents to the Monteberg (83.5km) and Kemmelberg (85km), the latter over its most challenging side, with cobblestones. With those climbs being so far away from the finish, the most predictable scenario is a big bunch sprint, such as in 2018, when Elia Viviani took the day’s honours.