2022 Classic Brugge-De Pane – Preview

By @EchelonsHub

The final cobbled classics block starts here. Although there are no more cobbled sectors in the Brugge-De Panne classic, it kept it’s spot in the calendar and has nowadays become a sprinter’s classic.

The Route

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.  

There is not much to approach in this race, 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 flame 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. 

The Weather

Surprisingly, it will not be a windy day. It will ramp up through the afternoon, a breeze from the northeast but it shouldn’t prevent a bunch sprint at the finish. Finishing straight should be covered. 

The Favourites 

Mark Cavendish – He’s struggled through Tirreno-Adriatico but came back with a bang on Milano-Torino. He’s got a strong leadout and he’s got Michael Morkov with him, the Briton has good chances of taking another win. 

Tim Merlier – Merlier has been doing very well in the Belgian classics throughout the last few years. The distance will profit him, and he’s capable of taking another win. 

Sam Bennett – The leadout for Bennett is fabulous, with a bunch of powerhouses, but also sprinters in Jordi Meeus and Danny van Poppel. Bora have a very strong team here, and Bennett should have the legs to complete the job. 

Arnaud Démare – At Tirreno-Adriatico Démare showed his good form, which he confirmed in Milano-Sanremo. Some toughness would be good for the Frenchman, however he’s still got good legs when it comes to pure sprints, and he’s got his leadout complete with him. 

Dylan Groenewegen – Rather inconsistent sprinter, but Groenewegen still has top speed. With BikeExchange taking 2 wins in 2 days in Catalunya with two different sprinters, the Dutchman will be under pressure and motivated to equal the result. 

A sprint is essentially inevitable. There will be strong rouleurs and classics riders but I don’t see that scenario succeeding as it will just be too hard for anyone to get a gap and sustain it with so many strong and fresh leadouts present. The likes of Pascal Ackermann, Arnaud de Lie, Nacer Bouhanni, Olav Kooij and Max Walscheid have all had very strong and successful sprints in the last few weeks and under the right circumstances, they can also take the win here without it being a big surprise. 

There are some more sprinters who will be eyeing some strong results, and points aswell depending on which teams you’re talking about. Team DSM have that duo of Cees Bol and Alberto Dainese however both of them have failed to be In the spotlight this year, but there are also Binian Ghirmay for Intermarché, Rudy Barbier for Israel, Simone Consonni for Cofidis, Niccolò Bonifazio for TotalEnergies, Kristoffer Halvorsen for Uno-X, Max Kanter for Movistar and the Bingoal duo of Stanislaw Aniolkowski and Timothy Dupont. 

Inside The Bus 

This morning I talk to… 

#137 Sam Welsford  – Listen Sam things have not been going well and we need a top performance from everyone to be able to have a good result here. We have a young team but they’ll do what they can to position you, Cees and Alberto into the final 3 kilometers. They both need to be well positioned, you will have a leadout duty and I hope that you can put them to the front into that technical section, even if it sacrifices our leadout for later. 

#34 Kévin van Melsen – We need to help Bini in this finish. He usually struggles with positioning, but we have a good group of guys that are used to racing here in Belgium, you included, and you’ve got to position him well. Adrien and Gerben will be the last ones with him, you’ll be a road captain throughout the day, make sure everyone stays safe, has food and avoids any potential crosswind action. 

#192 Filippo Fiorelli – Let’s see, it’s not easy racing, it’s pure powerhouse terrain and we don’t have those weapons. The guys will try to protect you as much as possible, but don’t be afraid to go on your own in the pack. Both you and Sacha will have your chances and freedom, if one of you can get in the Top10 that’d be a good result, talk between yourselves towards the end. 

Prediction Time 

⭐⭐⭐Merlier, Cavendish, S.Bennett 

⭐⭐Démare, Groenewegen, Démare, Kooij, Bouhanni, De Lie 

⭐Ackermann, Walscheid, Ghirmay, Consonni, Bonifazio, Halvorsen, Aniolkowski, Barbier 

I think it’s time for Sam Bennett to regain control over his career. Last year has been complicated for the Irish sprinter since entering a spat with Lefevere, in Bora he’s found a brilliant leadout and if he’s got the legs, he can win tomorrow. 

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