Wiebes, Kool, Balsamo brace for sprint clash at Classic Brugge-De Panne - Preview
Classic Brugge-De Panne Women 2023 - Race hub
Race Notes
- The 163.1km race begins at the Markt in Brugge and finishes on two local circuits in De Panne with a new finish in Zeelaan.
-The circuits are routed through the decisive De Moeren and the perfect backdrop for a bunch sprint.
- After crosswinds forced a split with 60km to go, 10 riders got away and would not be caught for the rest of the race
- Wiebes and Balsamo were in the group, but a perfectly-timed move from Pfeiffer Georgi in the last 10km gave her her biggest pro win yet
Hello and welcome to Cyclingnews' live coverage of Classic Brugge-De Panne!
I'm Matilda and I'm here to take you through the action from Belgium.
The riders are just getting ready for the neutral roll-out at 12.30 CET.
There's 8.6km neutral before the official start.
It's a pretty windy morning in Bruges, meaning echelons could be on the cards today.
There's also a good chance of rain later in the day, though perhaps not quite as much as the rain-soaked men's edition of this race yesterday.
It's a long day out today: 163.1km in total.
We'll start with a 67km traverse from Bruges to Veurne, and then it's two laps of the 47.9km loop around Veurne, De Panne and Koksijde.
Here's the latest startlist as the riders get away for the neutralised start:
🚨 Startlist 🚨 117 riders are taking part at @bruggedepanne today - here are all of their names! #BruggeDePanne pic.twitter.com/bShttACFfZMarch 23, 2023
Quite a few names missing this morning: most notably Lotta Henttala, who hasn't started this morning through sickness.
A lot of teams are here with reduced line-ups too, as injury and illness has already been taking its toll. With big races coming up, some riders are saving themselves for bigger goals.
And yes, that is SD Worx with just three riders supporting Lorena Wiebes.
Bastianelli, Kool and Balsamo all have full lead-outs here, so it will be a challenge for the Dutchwoman.
The rain held off, right until the race started!
Sounds like it's started pouring in Bruges just as the roll-out started.
We should be about 5 minutes from the official start now.
A few more DNS's to note: Trofeo Binda winner Shirin van Anrooij and Movistar's Floortje Mackaij are both sitting out today.
It's a little way away yet, but the sections to keep an eye on for crosswinds are the parts of the circuit that go through De Moeren.
This is a marshy, flat region near the French border that is super exposed and prime for wind disturbance.
163KM TO GO
And the race is underway!
The flag is dropped for the official start.
Though this race is usually
Here's the view from the roll-out:
🇧🇪 Rooollin'! We're leaving Brugge just as it starts to rain!#BruggeDePanne Live Updates:https://t.co/EOgEbMEZ7k pic.twitter.com/5eA9jg3s5PMarch 23, 2023
After a brief downpour, the sun has come out now in Belgium.
I'm sure the riders will be hoping it stays that way.
In the first part of the race, which goes south-west from Bruges to Veurne, the winds will be strong but mainly head on.
It's on the circuits and the change of direction where the crosswinds are more likely.
Can Lorena Wiebes make it work with just three teammates today?
“I really want to win this race. Yes we start with 4 but this team is very strong. The wind will make it interesting today. We’ll have to be alert”, @lorenawiebes before Brugge-De Panne. wesparksuccess pic.twitter.com/NqG2f368VcMarch 23, 2023
Just as the rain started falling in Bruges!
Sounds like a relatively calm start to the race.
No moves reported yet, and not a super high pace in the bunch.
If the headwind is as strong as reported, it's no wonder the peloton are starting off relatively slow.
Plus the early rain may have dampened some spirits.
10km done and all is together.
The rain is still a bit on and off at the moment.
Heading towards a section that could be a bit more wind-exposed in a few kilometres.
Could this see a split?
Nearly 20km completed and still no attacks to speak of.
This is the 6th edition of the women's Brugge-De Panne, which started in 2018.
Four out of the five previous editions have finished in a bunch sprint... do you remember which one didn't?
Of course that would be 2021 when Grace Brown got away and stayed away to win solo in De Panne.
She's not starting today, but it's a good reminder that solo attacks can work here.
We're behind on the slowest predicted schedule today - it has been a particularly slow-paced start.
20KM COMPLETED
All together but there's still 143km to go of course!
The peloton is somewhat stretched out now - the pace is building.
And there's a split!
The wind has definitely come into play here.
Hard to say who is where on each side of this split...
Details are sparse but we'll update with what we know.
About 25km in now.
If it's hard already, it's going to be a long and challenging day for a lot of riders.
The race has split more - there's three groups now.
About ten seconds between each one.
Again we're not quite sure who is where in these groups, hopefully we will have some news soon.
10 second gaps could well be closed, but in these winds could also stretch out really quickly.
30km completed now.
Sounds like the race is back together now, but a lot of riders will have had to put in quite a bit of work already today.
Getting a sense of how tough those splits were - that's Lorena Wiebes working on the front already.
125KM TO GO
Getting close to the local loops now - around 25km to go.
It's still a strong headwind the riders are facing, hence being on a slightly slower pace than expected.
Over an hour of racing complete now.
We may not have seen any moves go yet, but the splits and tension will be having an tiring effect on the peloton.
Mechanical problem for Julie De Wilde (Fenix-Deceuninck).
With the wet roads, punctures or similar issues may be a theme of the day.
CRASH IN PELOTON
Quite a big crash in the peloton - the race has been temporarily neutralised as a result.
The race seems to have paused completely, not just neutralised.
Riders from quite a few teams were involved in the crash, which seems to have happened near the front of the bunch.
Marta Bastianelli and Lisa Klein reportedly among those involved in this crash.
Good news - racing is back underway.
Seems like the crash had been blocking the road, but we're clear now.
Some images from the stoppage:
🚨 Race interrupted!After a big crash in the peloton the jury decided to stop the race for now with 117 km left to go.#BruggeDePanne pic.twitter.com/si2h5j3LgnMarch 23, 2023
Two abandons so far from that crash: Letizia Paternoster (Jayco-AlUla) and Ilse Grit (Proximus-Alphamotorhomes-Doltcini)
50KM COMPLETED
Just over 10km until the local loops.
With the effects of that crash and the circuits looming, it's unlikely we'll see any moves go now before the local laps.
CRASH IN PELOTON
Another crash in the bunch - these wet roads are dangerous.
Eight riders involved in this crash, including Lizzie Holden (UAE Team ADQ) and Jade Wiel (FDJ-SUEZ).
It's a real combination of things causing a tetchy peloton here - the roads are narrow and wet, the wind is blowing, there's tension heading towards the loops and the previous crashes will have left a lot of riders feeling nervous.
You'd hope this was the last of the crashes, but we haven't even hit the worse crosswinds sections yet, so let's hope to get through them safely.
All is together in the bunch as we head towards Veurne.
Tiril Jorgensen (Coop Hitec Products) is another crash victim - the team says she is okay but her bike is not in good condition.
Equipment issues could prove to be as decisive as injuries with these crashes.
The wind is keeping the peloton strung out.
Minke Bakker (Duolar-Chevalmeire) is the latest confirmed abandon.
We should be into the two local laps now - under 100km to go.
The peloton is just passing the finish line for the first time now.
It's quite relaxed in the bunch, all is together and the sun is shining.
95KM TO GO
And we have a rider on the attack!
Mieke Docx from Lotto-Dstny has just clipped off the front of the bunch.
The peloton are letting Docx go here, but perhaps thinking that she won't have much of a chance on her own.
Not a huge amount of team organisation in the peloton.
SD Worx, Uno-X and DSM all have riders up there.
It's 20 seconds advantage for Docx currently, but the pace is definitely upping in the peloton.
The wind is still strong out in Belgium, it's not affecting things too much right now but it will in the more exposed areas.
And that's Mieke Docx caught by the peloton.
SD Worx are really taking things up here.
Perhaps an interesting tactic from the team with only four riders and 91km to go.
Trek-Segafredo are coming up to the front now.
Elisa Balsamo is of course the defending champion here.
Elisa Balsamo beat Lorena Wiebes into second at last year's race - one of the rare times the Italian has won a head-to-head between the two - but Wiebes would argue a broken spoke impeded her in that sprint.
A shot from that crash earlier.
Seems like quite a few riders ended up in the ditch, there's just nowhere to go on those narrow roads. Marta Bastianelli (pictured) is apparently still in the race.
85KM TO GO
Onto wider roads and all is still together, but the pace is high.
Canyon-SRAM are taking things up now.
They have a sprint option in Shari Bossuyt, who has a lot of top-10 finishes under her belt and took her first pro win in Normandy last weekend.
It's a constant battle at the front of the peloton here, with everyone trying to stay in position before the almost constant corner and pinch points.
Bike change for Elisa Balsamo - the Italian champion is back and riding pretty quickly but will need to get back into the bunch now.
Balsamo has just rejoined the peloton.
About 10km away from the exposed De Moren section now.
The tension is definitely rising going towards what could be a very decisive stretch.
Some splits forming at the back here.
A lot of riders will be tired after what's already been a stressful start to the day.
The winds are already showing their effects now.
Wiebes and Balsamo are keeping safe right at the front of the peloton.
Echelons are starting to form!
It's breaking apart from the back as the strong riders push on at the front.
The sprinters are having to do a lot of work themselves to stay in the front currently.
A lot of riders have been dropped out the back - two distinct groups - but it's still quite a large peloton up front.
A moment of calming now as we're in a less windy section.
And with that lull, group two has rejoined the peloton.
The third group has also got back on.
Another crash here - an Israel Premier Tech Roland rider is in the ditch.
It's Thị Thật Nguyễn who just got squeezed off the road, but she's back riding now.
Another crash in the peloton - riders are just getting squeezed and caught out in this tense bunch.
Romy Kasper, Fien Delbaere and Agnieszka Skalniak-Sójka all affected.
About to hit De Moeren and the peloton is really stretched out as the pressure builds.
It's DSM and Trek-Segafredo who are working to make this really hard up front.
Lorena Wiebes is having to look after herself.
The pace is super high but we're not seeing too many echelon splits just yet.
And we're on the De Moeren section!
Almost as soon as we turn onto this straight the echelons start forming.
It's DSM and Uno-X who are driving it on the front.
Balsamo and Wiebes are safely in the front group of around 15 riders, though neither have much team support.
Marta Bastianelli is on the wrong side of these splits, and Charlotte Kool also seems to be missing from the front group - though Pfeiffer Georgi and another DSM rider are up there for the team.
The front group now have 15 seconds on the first chase group.
The group includes Balsamo, Wiebes, Alice Barnes, Shari Bossuyt, Maike van der Duins, Julie De Wilde, Christina Schweinberger, Amalie Dideriksen, Pfeiffer Georgi and Megan Jastrab.
This ten-rider group is really pushing on here, though they have only 16 seconds on a fairly large chase group led by UAE Team ADQ.
The third group on the road is now a minute and a half down.
So anyone not in the front two groups is probably out of this race.
50KM TO GO
We're just about to cross the finish line and start the second lap here.
10 rider group is still about 20 seconds up the road.
The gap is going out slightly - it's 30 seconds as the leaders cross the finish line.
Could this group stay away?
The question is whether these riders will co-operate or start attacking each other when we hit the win again.
With a gap this small, as soon as they start looking at each other they could well find themselves caught.
It remains only UAE Team ADQ who are working in the second group, and not really making any inroads on the leaders.
The group is growing out now in the leaders' favour.
They've got 45 seconds on the chasers now.
With DSM, Fenix-Deceuninck and Canyon-SRAM all having two riders in the front 10, there is a good amount of cohesion and co-operation.
Behind, UAE Team ADQ have Chiara Consonni trying to bridge solo now.
40KM TO GO
Still a long way to go for this group, but they're looking strong.
Doesn't look like Consonni is having much luck in bridging this gap.
36KM TO GO
The leaders' advantage is over a minute now for the first time.
And here's visuals on the leading ten:
With the energy definitely sapping from the chase, it looks like this group of ten has good chance of going to the line.
But will it be a Balsamo vs Wiebes sprint, or will we see some attacks in the finale?
A bit of discord in the chasing group.
UAE Team ADQ and Jayco-AlUla are both clearly frustrated at having missed this move, but their deficit is just growing and growing.
30KM TO GO
Not much change here, the leaders are just rolling through and off.
But, we still have some more windy sections to go.
Quite calm in the lead group - riders are drinking and taking gels in preparation for the finale.
Almost two minutes now for the leaders.
It's pretty certain that they're not going to be caught.
25KM TO GO
Heading back towards the crosswinds sections.
The final De Moeren section finishes with around 10km to go, so the attacks may come quite close to the line.
Jastrab and Georgi from DSM have been working well on the front of this group.
20KM TO GO
It's been no-change for a while now, but don't expect this race to culminate without some more attacks and action.
It's maybe surprising that a group as strong as this was just allowed to go, but it proves just how hard it can be to chase down breaks.
Particularly when teams have been affected by crashes as they have today.
The question is, which riders will attack?
Both DSM and Canyon-SRAM should theoretically be sending a rider on the move. Will Balsamo herself try to get away from Wiebes?
We're just a couple of kilometres from the start of De Moeren now.
This will be the best chance for riders to take advantage of the wind and try to put Wiebes and Balsamo in trouble.
15KM TO GO
Crosswinds coming...
Echelons views from earlier in the race - what a sight!
Georgi is pushing her lead out to 24 seconds in her attempt to win Brugge-De Panne
Georgi caught the breakaway by surprise with this move.
She reacted off the back of her teammate Jastrab's initial attack and gained an instant gap as the sprinters all looked at each other, no one wanting to burn matches by taking up the chase.
Georgi has been on the cusp of a major victory this year and it looks like she is about to take the win at Classic Brugge-De Panne.
Read our recent in-depth feature - On the cusp of a breakthrough – No more mistaking Pfeiffer Georgi
This was tactical brilliance from Team DSM's Georgi and Jastrab, the only team with two riders in the breakaway at the late stages of this race.
Pfeiffer Georgi takes a solo victory at Classic Brugge-De Panne!
It was her biggest win as a pro rider.
The sprint for second place is about to happen as Amalie Dideriksen leads the chase group into the run-in to the finish.
Lorena Wiebes launches her attack at 300 metres out but Elisa Balsamo has thrown her bike at the line in what looks like a photo-finish for second place.
It's Balsamo who takes second on the line, beating Wiebes to second.
It may not have been for the win, but that could give Balsamo some confidence going forward.
It's a very happy Pfeiffer Georgi at the finish, after a strong ride from the team.
"I'm so happy," she said. "This is my first WorldTour win. Pretty unexpected for me actually. We came in today with a plan to race aggressively, and the whole team did that, so I was just finishing off a great team effort today."
There's something full circle about winning here for Pfeiffer Georgi.
It was at this race in 2020 where she fractured two vertebrae and had a long recovery period over the off-season.
Jastrab and Bossuyt rounded out the top-5 on the line, after strong rides for DSM and Canyon-SRAM respectively.
Here's your confirmed top 10:
After crashing heavily in the finale, we're still waiting for updates about Alice Barnes and Julie De Wilde.
Here's that winning moment!
And the throw to the line between the two favourites, who had to settle for podium spots today.
Elisa Balsamo is still waiting for a big one-day win this year - this time last year she won Trofeo Binda, Brugge-De Panne and Gent-Wevelgem on the trot - but she didn't seem too disappointed about her runner-up finish today.
"I took a good second place," she said. "Today was a really hard race and the girls from DSM, they were two, and they were so strong. So I am satisfied about my second place."
Everyone in the group knew they couldn't go to the line with Wiebes and Balsamo, but it was only DSM who successfully pulled off another tactic.
"We just knew we were going to attack," Georgi explained. "Megan [Jastrab] attacked first and set me up, then I just went as hard as I could. My legs were feeling pretty tired at that point, so it was just giving it everything, and the DS shouting in my ear really helped, just put the head down and go to the line."
If you missed any of the action today, head over here for our full report.
Julie De Wilde is heading to hospital after crashing in the finale. We expect Alice Barnes to be doing the same after what was a heavy crash, but there is no official update yet.
@JulieDeWilde1 has been transported to the hospital, where she will undergo the necessary examinations.March 23, 2023
And here's the podium shot!
Not long until the WorldTour resumes with Gent-Wevelgem this Sunday.
It could well be a rematch for Lorena Wiebes and defending champion Elisa Balsamo.
That's all from me!
Join us again on Sunday for coverage from Gent-Wevelgem.
