Tim Merlier leads our team at the one-day race, his first outing since taking two stage wins at Paris-Nice.
The second World Tour event of the season held on Belgian soil, the Classic Brugge-De Panne is scheduled this week, when the peloton takes on a 195.6km flat course whose main highlight should be De Moeren. One of the most famous places in Flanders, De Moeren is known for its merciless crosswinds that can wreak havoc, and this could be the case also this year, especially as it features three times on the route.
A winner of the event in 2022, Tim Merlier will lead Soudal Quick-Step at the Belgian one-day race, where he comes after an excellent start to the season, which has seen him pick up a total of six victories. Ayco Bastiaens, 2020 winner Yves Lampaert, Luke Lamperti – who came close to victory last week at the Bredene Koksijde Classic, where he finished runner-up – Bert Van Lerberghe, Warre Vangheluwe and Jordi Warlop are the six Soudal Quick-Step riders who will support the European Champion this Wednesday.
“After starting from Brugge, we will head almost straight away to De Panne and cover three laps there. This race is usually a windy one and it remains to be seen if it will be the same again this year, but at the moment, the weather says we should have a pretty quiet day, perfect for a bunch sprint. There are a lot of strong fast men at the start, but we look forward to this challenge. We go there with a very good team and we are confident in our chances of fighting for the win”, said Soudal Quick-Step sports director Iljo Keisse.
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