Just four days after his Victory at the Milan-San Remo cycling monument Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck) also triumphed in the one-day race Bruges-De Panne. In a hectic bunch sprint, the Belgian once again had the fastest legs and outsprinted his rivals. Tim Merlier (Soudal - Quick Step) finished just behind the day's winner in second place, with Danny van Poppel from the German team in third Bora-Hansgrohe.
Philipsen prevails in a direct duel against Merlier
The best sprinters in the world met at the classic Bruges-De Panne, including Tim Merlier and Jasper Philipsen, who are currently in outstanding form. In the end, it came down to a bunch sprint, which became hectic due to the narrow roads and final bends.
In the final, Philipsen orientated himself on the rear wheel of his Belgian rival Merlier for a long time before both riders started an overtaking manoeuvre. At the same time, they planned to overtake Danny van Poppel on the left-hand side. This resulted in physical contact between the two Belgians. The riders touched shoulder to shoulder, but managed to keep their balance. Philipsen coped better with the physical contact and then passed Merlier, relegating his rival to second place.
"I had to make up a few positions after the last corner. Then I found Tim Merlier's rear wheel - that's the best rear wheel I could have got behind. Then I wanted to pass van Poppel on the left and unfortunately I came into physical contact with Merlier. In the end it was still a good sprint and I'm happy to have won." - Jasper Philipsen in the winner interview
Bruges-De Panne 2024: Results - The Top 10
- Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck) 4:22:22
- Tim Merlier (Soudal - Quick Step) +0:00
- Danny van Poppel (Bora-Hansgrohe) +0:00
- Jason Tesson (TotalEnergies) +0:00
- Simone Consonni (Lidl-Trek) +0:00
- Stian Fredheim (Uno-X Mobility) +0:00
- Juan Sebastian Molano (UAE Team Emirates) +0:00
- Phil Bauhaus (Bahrain-Victorious) +0:00
- Emilien Jeanniere (TotalEnergies) +0:00
- Luca Mozzato (Arkea-B&B Hotels) +0:00
How Bruges-De Panne 2024 went
Shortly after the start of the race, three riders managed to open up a gap to the peloton: Luca De Meester (Bingoal WB), Victor Vercouillie (Team Flanders-Baloise) and Thomas Gachignard (TotalEnergies) formed the leading group of the day in the classic.
Teams work for their sprinters in the peloton
The race situation quickly stabilised and the escapees extended their lead early on. The peloton gave them a lead of seven minutes at one point, but then the gap gradually narrowed: Soudal - Quick Step for their sprinter Tim Merlier, Alpecin-Deceuninck for Jasper Philipsen and the German team Bora-Hansgrohe for Sem Welsford, among others, increased the pace and took care of the chase.
Wind doesn't play a role this time
Due to the flat course, the peloton had no problems keeping the three breakaways under control. The weather conditions played into the sprinters' hands: the roads were dry and the dreaded crosswinds did not play a role.
With 24 kilometres to go, the breakaway had a lead of less than a minute. Gachignard then took off and broke away from the other two escapees. They were unable to follow, so they then dropped into the peloton. The Frenchman fought bravely, but 10 kilometres before the finish his attempt was over. The peloton was now complete again - everything pointed to a bunch sprint.
Philipsen wins hectic bunch sprint
And that's what happened in the end: the sprint trains had problems forming in an organised manner due to the final bends, which made the finale extremely hectic. First there was a minor crash, then there was increased physical contact in the sprint - including between Philipsen and Merlier. In the end, Jasper Philipsen came out on top, with Phil Bauhaus (Bahrain-Victorious) the best German in eighth place.
