Elisa Balsamo (Lidl Trek) continued her stellar early-season form on Thursday with victory at the Classic Brugge-De Panne.
The former world champion outsprinted Charlotte Kool (dsm-firmenich PostNL) to take her fourth win of 2024 so far, and her second in five days after triumphing in the Trofeo Alfredo Binda on Sunday.
"I'm very happy and I’m feeling good. For me, this is the most important thing," Balsamo said afterwards.
Last summer, the Italian spent two months sidelined after breaking her jaw and wrist in a crash at the RideLondon Classique. She has now tallied more victories in the last two months than in the entirety of last season.
"After last year, it was really not easy to come back," she said. "I feel like the team really trusts me and I'm really happy.
"My team did an amazing lead-out and they put me in the best position behind Kool. When I saw [the] 200m [to go sign], I just went full gas."
Balsamo's victory came in the absence of SD Worx-Protime and their sprinter Lorena Wiebes, who was one name on an extensive list of rider injuries that forced the Dutch team to pull out ahead of the race.
How it happened
On an uncharacteristically still day in northern Flanders, the peloton raced a 155km route from Bruges, heading west, to the coastal town of De Panne. There, on any other day of the week, the main attraction is the Plopsaland theme park. Those on the start list strapped in for their own rollercoaster.
Encouraged, perhaps, by Pfeiffer Georgi’s (dsm-firmenich PostNL) 7km solo victory last year, riders tried to force themselves free from around 60km to go. First went Letizia Borghesi (EF-Education Cannondale), then Gladys Verhulst-Wild (FDJ-Suez) sprung clear, riding ahead of the peloton like a carrot on a string down the long, exposed De Moeren road.
The Frenchwoman’s teammate, Nina Buijsman, got her call to attack shortly after. She gained over a minute on the bunch, too. But, despite aggressive racing from FDJ-Suez, as well as EF-Education Cannondale and Fenix Deceuninck, the peloton kept coming back together.
As expected, dsm-firmenich PostNL and Lidl Trek took up the charge into the last 5km, towing the race favourites Kool and Balsamo to the finale. Fenix-Deceuninck's Christina Schweinberger tried to foil their plans with a late attack, but the Austrian was quickly reeled in.
In the sprint, Kool and Balsamo launched in tandem with 200m to go, the latter proving the fastest. Daria Pikulik (Human Powered Health) finished third.
Results
Classic Brugge-De Panne 2024 (155km)
1. Elisa Balsamo (Ita) Lidl Trek, in 3:49:56
2. Charlotte Kool (Ned) dsm-firmenich PostNL
3. Daria Pikulik (Pol) Human Powered Health
4. Chiara Consonni (Ita) UAE Team ADQ
5. Georgia Baker (Aus) Liv AlUla Jayco
6. Chloe Dygert (USA) Canyon-Sram
7. Emma Norsgaard (Den) Movistar
8. Anniina Ahtosalo (Fin) Uno-X
9. Kim Le Court (Mus) AG Insurance - Soudal Team
10. Vittoria Guazzini (Ita) FDJ-Suez, all at same time
