The Classic Brugge-De Panne was expected to be a showdown between the two dominating sprinters of the women's peloton, Elisa Balsamo (Trek-Segafredo) and Lorena Wiebes (Team SD Worx). Both of them made it into the front echelon, but their sprint on the Zeelaan in De Panne was 'only' for second place: Right after the group neutralised an attack by Megan Jastrab, her Team DSM teammate Pfeiffer Georgi attacked and soloed to victory.
"When you're alone in a small group and you have to control two riders, it's never an easy situation to handle. Jastrab was the first to attack, and we managed to close the gap, but when Georgi went, I did not have enough energy to follow. Of course, I always race for the victory, but looking how the race went, I'm satisfied both with the result and the performance," Balsamo said after her second place.
"I think Georgi and Jastrab from DSM played their numerical superiority in the best way and rode strongly. I really did my best today, in a tough race, and I really enjoyed it. We expected a hard race, with wind and echelons. That's what I like about Belgian races and that's why I liked racing today."
The two top sprinters had started their seasons differently: Wiebes' first road race was the UAE Tour Women in mid-February where she won one stage, Balsamo began racing the following week at the Setmana Valenciana and won two stages. They both lined up in the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, but Balsamo was dropped in the Flemish Ardennes while Wiebes won the sprint for second place behind her teammate Lotte Kopecky's solo win.
The Italian and the European champion went head-to-head in the Ronde van Drenthe and Nokere Koerse, and Wiebes beat Balsamo in both sprints – winning the Ronde van Drenthe herself and taking second place in Nokere behind another Kopecky solo. In the Trofeo Alfredo Binda, Wiebes lost contact with the chase group behind eventual solo winner Shirin van Anrooij (Trek-Segafredo) on the last lap, and Balsamo won the sprint for second place.
In Brugge-De Panne, a race both riders had won before, they made the front echelon but could not keep the small group of six together until the finish.
"I couldn't react to Georgi's attack as I had just countered Jastrab's attack. I expected it, but I had just done a big effort. To catch Georgi back, we needed to cooperate more," Wiebes explained the situation.
In the sprint, Wiebes went very early but appeared to hold on until Balsamo came past on the final metres to snatch second place. After the race, the Italian champion focused on having beaten her rival.
"At 1km to go, also with Ina's input from the team car, I only focused on the sprint for the podium. I think I can be satisfied with the result and, most of all, with how I sprinted against Wiebes. It gives me confidence for the next events in this Belgian campaign; I hope and want to improve my performances," added Balsamo, already looking forward to Sunday's Gent-Wevelgem.
