A five-star sprint was expected at the Classic Brugge-De Panne this Wednesday. It ultimately turned out to be a messy one. The tension and the fight for positions led to many crashes in the final ten kilometres. The Groupama-FDJ’s sprinter Paul Penhoët was caught in the last of these, just before the flamme rouge, and was therefore unable to contest his chances. Juan Sebastian Molano took the win.
From Bruges, the peloton headed today towards the North Sea and the town of De Panne, around which a forty-three-kilometre circuit was to be completed three times, after an initial on-line portion. For once on Flemish roads, no difficulties loomed ahead of the riders. The course featured neither cobblestones nor bergs, and the wind wasn’t even blowing on Wednesday. As a result, the race followed a rather classic pattern, with five riders in the breakaway and a peloton easily in control throughout the day. “Even though the pace was very high, not much happened, and everyone came fresh in the final,” commented Frédéric Guesdon. “It was extremely nervous. Given the starting field, with almost twenty top-level sprinters, and the twisty final, there was a good chance it would end badly. And that’s what happened.”
“It’s frustrating for everyone”, Frédéric Guesdon.
Nervousness reached its peak in the final ten kilometres, and while Groupama-FDJ tried to organize with Paul Penhoët, the first crashes brought some riders to the ground and split the peloton. “There were four crashes in four kilometres,” Frédéric said. “It’s a shame it ended like this. As for us, we managed to get through it… except for the last one. We still had four riders in front, with Paul, Johan, Cyril, and Clément. Unfortunately, Paul was caught in that last crash, and it ruined our day.” Cyril Barthe also went down, and the sprint was therefore contested by a small group of “survivors,” without any riders from the team. Juan Sebastian Molano won. Clément Russo crossed the line in nineteenth place, while Paul Penhoët was able to get on his back to reach the finish. “It’s nothing too bad for Paul, but this is another blow,” Frédéric concluded. “These are races where he can go for results. Unfortunately, he still hasn’t achieved the results he and the team are aiming for. It’s frustrating for everyone.”
Next meeting in Belgium on Friday, with the E3 Saxo Classic.
