Jonathan Milan came close to victory after a chaotic edition of the Classic Brugge-De Panne but just couldn't take the win. The Italian sprinter finished second after a smart sprint by Juan Molano, who started early. Unfortunately, Edward Theuns was involved in one of the many crashes in the final 10 km.
At the start of the race, five riders formed the early breakaway, but the peloton always kept them within reach. The pace was high, helped by a strong tailwind. A powerful Tim Declercq and his colleagues made sure the breakaway never got too far.
Everyone was counting down to the much-anticipated bunch sprint, but it never really happened. Multiple crashes in the final kilometers disrupted the sprint and prevented a fair showdown. Unfortunately, Edward Theuns was caught up in one of the crashes. Further examinations will determine the extent of his injuries.
Juan Molano took advantage of the chaos, surprising the other sprinters with a long sprint from far out. The hesitation behind gave him an extra gap. Jonathan Milan chased hard but just ran out of road. The final result: a second place.
Milan's Reaction
From the start of the day we helped control the race, so it’s a not super good to not give [the team] a victory. Molano was super strong, I was not expecting someone to come from behind so early at 400m to go. It was difficult to catch him but I did my best. Unfortunately we had many crashes, including before the last corner. I hope no one is bad. It was a difficult final, one of the most dangerous ones I have done. But yeah, second place, and now we keep going. The condition is good, I don’t feel the crashes from Tirreno anymore, I’m confident for Gent-Wevelgem.
