As it happened: Elisa Balsamo takes second win in a week at Brugge - De Panne

Welcome to Cyclingnews' live coverage of the Classic Brugge-De Panne.

This will be the seventh edition of the race for the women with the first taking place in 2018. In keeping with the men's race, the women's De Panne has usually culminated in a sprint however there have been two solo victories by Grace Brown, who held off a chasing peloton to take a solo win in 2021 and Pfeiffer Georgi who, after some skilled riding in the crosswinds by her teammate, Megan Jastrab rode away to victory in 2023. 

Amongst the current crop of sprinters, both Lorena Wiebes and Elisa Balsamo have taken one win each at De Panne. Balsamo will take to the start line today as will Team dsm-firmenich PostNL's sprinter Charlotte Kool.

However Wiebes, who has been on the podium three times at this race, will not be racing, nor will any of her SD Worx - Protime teammates. The Dutch squad issued a press release earlier this week stating that injuries sustained by Wiebes and Chantal van den Broek Blaak at Nokere Koerse as well as a number of other riders being busy on training camp or other race programmes meant they were unable to field a full team for the race. 

It doesn't look like we'll be in for a repeat of last year's crosswind action this time as the forecast shows only light winds and sunshine for today's race. 

Outside of the top favourites for a sprint in Balsamo and Kool we also have UAE Team ADQ's Chiara Consonni, Vittoria Guazzini and Gladys Verhulst of FDJ - SUEZ, Anniina Ahtosalo of Uno-X Mobility, as well as the fast-finishing Emma Norsgaard for Movistar and Chloe Dygert of Canyon//SRAM making her season debut. 

The riders have rolled out for the neutral start 

A few riders appear to have been asking for assistance in the neutral section including Mylène de Zoete of CERATIZIT-WNT Pro Cycling Team but all seems to be in order now.

Official start has been given! 

155 km to go

With the pan-flat parcours and lack of wind all signs are pointing to a pretty uneventful race culminating in a bunch kick, but you never know what might happen!

It's been a quiet start to the race, no attacks just yet. Riders are dispatching layers at the team car. 

148 km to go

The attacks have started to fly! 

It's Team dsm-firmenich who are active in shutting down any attacks at the moment 

137 km to go

Attacks continue to fly but a breakaway has yet to go. 

128 km to go

Over 30km of racing complete but, despite multiple attempts, a break has yet to form. 

The race is still all together. The average speed so far has been 38.9km/h which would be on the slower side for this race if they continued at that pace.

115 km to go

Two riders have attacked, can they maintain a gap? Do we finally have a breakaway? 

110 km to go

Nathalie Bex from the Chevalmeire team has a small gap on the peloton 

The gap is up to 32 seconds 

107 km to go

Bex now has a lead of 1'43", nobody appears to have wanted to join the Belgian rider. 

Mechanical for Vittoria Guazinni (FDJ - SUEZ)

Bex's gap has come down slightly to just over one minute as the race dips under the 100km to go mark. 

The pace has picked up significantly causing some riders to lose contact with the peloton. 

96 km to go

Bex has been caught by the peloton 

Crash in the peloton involving four riders. 

94 km to go

Those who crashed are back on their bikes but there is now a split in the peloton. 

All back together. 

Now we have an attack from a rider from Lotto Dstny Ladies!

Three riders have a small gap. 

86 km to go

The last report showed three leaders with a five second gap. Live TV images are due to start any minute. 

The peloton have passed the finish line for the first time. 

Lisa van Helvoirt of VolkerWessels Women's Pro Cycling Team and Alessia Vigilia of FDJ - SUEZ have a 12 second gap on the peloton 

Alison Jackson (EF Education - Cannondale) asks for assistance from the team car 

73.3 km to go

29 seconds for the leading pair 

Team DSM, Liv AlUla - Jayco, and Visma - Lease a Bike are on the front 

Bike (and shoe!) change for Lotta Henttala (EF Education - Cannondale) 

The gap is down to 20 seconds 

69 km to go

DSM and AG Insurance - Soudal  are pushing the pace 

Lidl - Trek come towards the front of the peloton with Trofeo Alfredo Binda winner Elisa Balsamo

The peloton have turned off the wide road and onto the narrow lanes. The gap to the break is down to just 10 seconds now 

EF Education - Cannondale are putting in a big effort to catch the breakaway 

The break are caught 

63 km to go

A small group has gone away including Paris Roubaix 2023 winner and Canadian national champion, Alison Jackson. 

The group are caught as Jackson's teammate Letizia Borghesi counters 

A group of three have gone clear including Christina Schweinberger of Fenix - Deceuninck, Letizia Borghesi of EF Education - Cannondale, and Alice Wood of Human Powered Health. 

Eugenia Bujak of UAE Team ADQ bridges to the group at the front. They have a ten second gap. 

Team dsm firmenich aren't happy with the composition of the front group and are pulling the peloton. 

Two more riders join the front group but an attack from Movistar draws the bunch out and reduces the hap once again. 

The race is all back together 

57.6 km to go

Attack from FDJ SUEZ 

Jackson of EF Education - Cannondale is trying to close the gap 

The peloton is on De Moeren for the penultimate time 

Gladys Verhulst-Wild of FDJ - SUEZ has a gap of 11 seconds 

Human Powered Health come to the front 

Verhulst has 29 seconds. There is no real sign of an organised chase in the peloton just yet 

50 km to go

A group of six go clear and are trying to bridge to Verhulst 

46 km to go

The group includes Ilse Pluimers of AG Insurance - Soudal, Silke Smulders of Liv AlUla - Jayco, Aude Biannic of Movistar, Linda Riedmann of Visma - Lease a Bike, and Noemi Rüegg of EF Education - Cannondale. 

The six chasers have made contact with Verhulst 

The breakaway pass through the finish line for the penultimate time 

One lap to go of the 2024 Brugge - De Panne 

44 km to go

Team dsm - firmenich are pulling the peloton and bringing the gap to the break down considerably. 

The break is caught. 

Attack by Alison Jackson (EF Education - Cannondale) 

Eugenia Bujak of UAE Team ADQ bridges to Jackson 

Riders from VolkerWessels Women's Pro Cycling and Movistar give chase 

Bujak and Jackson are caught 

Another attack from Aude Biannic of Movistar with Gladys Verhulst of FDJ SUEZ

Schweinberger attacks from Fenix - Deceuninck 

Alice Wood of Human Powered Health is driving the pace at the front of the peloton 

Wilma Aintila of Lotto Dstny Ladies has a small gap 

36 km to go

Aintila is caught by a group of six riders who have escaped the peloton

Multiple splits in the peloton 

34 km to go

A lull in the pace 

33 km to go

Visma - Lease a Bike take up the front of the bunch 

FDJ - SUEZ, Visma - Lease a Bike, and Liv AlUla - Jayco are pulling the peloton 

Attack from Fenix - Deceuninck 

28.5 km to go

Small splits in the peloton 

Verhulst and Biannic attack once again 

All back together 

Bike change for Clara Copponi (Lidl- Trek) 

Attaacks from AWOL - O'Shea, Visma - Lease a Bike, Mivistar, FDJ, and Human Powered Health.  

Crash for Rebecca Koerner of Uno - X 

Attack from FDJ SUEZ 

It's Nina Buijsman of FDJ SUEZ with a 12 second gap 

22 km to go

Buijsman has a 16 second gap but the pace is high in the peloton now 

Team fsm firmenich lead the peloton as they turn onto the small road before De Moeren

Lidl - Trek and dsm firmenich are on the front but Buijsman's gap is up to 23 seconds now 

18.5 km to go

Crash in the peloton! Ciara Consonni and Alison Jackson are involved 

The crash and resulting split has allowed Buijsman's gap to extend to 43 seconds 

16.5km to go

Buijsman's lead is now up to 53 seconds, the peloton need to keep this gap under control if they want a bunch sprint!

Buijsman has a minute now as dsm firmenich and Jayco AlUla take to the front 

Buijsman's gap dipped under one minute briefly but is now back up despite the best efforts of dsm 

10.9 km to go

dsm are driving the pace on De Moeren 

Buijsman's advantage is down to 36 seconds now 

with dsm's efforts Buijsman now has only a 20 second lead 

Other teams are starting to organise themselves including Lidl - Trek and EF Education - Cannondale 

8 km to go

Buijsman's gap is down to almost nothing now 

Approaching the end of De Moeren Buijsman's gap is down to just 6 seconds 

6.8 km to go

Buijsman is caught 

The pace is high as the teams organise themselves in preparation for a sprint 

Zoe Backstedt of Canyon//SRAM is driving the pace at the front 

dsm firmenich and Lidl - Trek are lined out on oppoisite sides of the road for their respective sprinters 

5.6 km to go

Movistar come up to the front now as well as Canyon//SRAM

4 km to go

dsm are in full control of the front of this race for Charlotte Kool 

3.5 km to go

Yet another attack from Christina Schweinberger of Fenix - Deceuninck 

3.5 km to go

dsm chase the Austrian rider down 

Human Powered Health line up alongside Movistar while Lidl - Trek and dsm firmenich take the other side of the road 

The km to go graphic has frozen on the TV but there is now less than 2 km to go 

dsm have disappeared from the front now as Lidl - Trek take control and EF Education - Cannondale come to the front 

dsm have re-established themselves at the front 

dsm have a full lead out for Kool - can she pull it off? 

Kool launches while Balsamo goes on the other side 

Elisa Balsamo wins!

Balsamo wins and Charlotte Kool takes second 

Daria Pikulik of Human Powered Health takes third 

Top - 10 

1. Elisa Balsamo (Lidl - Trek) 

2. Charlotte Kool (team dsm firmenich) 

3. Daria Pikulik (Human Powered Health)

4.  Chiara Consonni (UAE Team ADQ)

5. Georgia Baker (Liv ALUla - Jayco)

6. Chloe Dygert (Canyon//SRAM)

7. Emma Norsgaard (Movistar) 

8. Anniina Ahtosalo (Uno-X Mobility) 

9. Kimberley Le Court (AG Insurance - Soudal)

10. Vittoria Guazzini (FDJ - SUEZ)

Elisa Balsamo, winner of the 2024 Brugge - De Panne:

"I'm just very happy and i'm feeling good and for me this is the most important because after last year it was not easy to come back. But I feel like the team really back me and I'm really happy."

my teammates did an amazing lead out and put me in the best position behind Kool and when I saw 200m to go I just went full gas."

Thanks for joining for today's live coverage of Brugge - De Panne. Join us on Sunday for Gent - Wevelgem. Meanwhile, be sure to check out the full race report here.