2025 Classic Brugge-De Panne Odds, Predictions and How To Watch

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On Wednesday, March 26, the cycling world turns its attention back to Belgium for the 49^th edition of the Classic Brugge-De Panne race. Since 1977, this race has been an annual spring tradition. However, it was modified 40 years later, to accommodate the sport’s evolving landscape.

In 2018, the Classic Brugge-De Pann switched spots with Dwars door Vlanderen on the calendar to become a Spring Classics race instead of its original three-day event. Additionally, it also added a women’s race on the following day.

Per tradition, the race begins in Brugge and finishes in De Panne. No, you won’t see some of the sport’s rock stars like Tadej Pogacar or Jonas Vingegaard. Instead, this race is all about the fastest men of the peloton.

The Brugge showcases some of the best sprinters in cycling like the two-time defending champ Jasper Philipsen, who aims to become just the second cyclist to have ever won three in a row.

However, the competition will be fierce as Tim Merlier, Jonathan Milan, Olav Kooij, Sam Welsford, Fabio Jakobsen, Arnaud Demare, and Dylan Groenewegen are all expected to compete in this Belgian sprint race.

With that said, let’s take a look at the latest cycling odds, courtesy of the top sports betting sites, and make our Classic Brugge-De Panne predictions.

How To Watch The Classic Brugge-De Panne?

For North American cycling fans, you will have to head over to FloBikes to stream the 2025 Classic Brugge-De Panne race. This event has a local start time of 12:30pm, but won’t begin streaming until 10am ET.

Classic Brugge-De Panne Route

This Belgian race spans 195+km throughout the region of West Flanders with its traditional start in Brugge. From there, the peloton will cross through the De Moeren plains, head into Veurne and then complete multiple circuits in De Panne before sprinting on a narrow road with a few final turns prior to the finishing line.

Classic Brugge-De Panne Odds

Check out the latest Classic Brugge-De Panne odds:

As you can see from the cycling odds above, there are four pre-race favorites and then the odds drop off a steep cliff from +700 to +2500 and higher. Tim Merlier is the odds-on favorite to win this event, but he’s followed closely by Jonathan Milan. Additionally, Philipsen and Olav Kooij are right in their slipstream.

Classic Brugge-De Panne Favorites

Let’s take a look at the odds-on favorites for the 49^th edition of the Classic Brugge-De Panne:

Tim Merlier (+162)

Tim Merlier has been arguable the best sprinter in the sport over the first few months of the 2025 season.

He kicked off the year with two stage wins and a second in the green jersey competition for the AlUla Tour. Merlier then followed that up with two more wins in the UAE Tour and a third for the sprint competition.

But his success didn’t end there. The Beligan went out and took the first two stages of Paris-Nice as well.

With six wins already in 2025, Merlier has definitely been at the top of the peloton when it comes to speed. However, don’t ask the 32-year-old if he thinks that he’s the best sprinter:

“It’s not up to me to say things like this. It’s up to you guys to say it or don’t say it. I just try to win as much as possible and to take my opportunities.”

It’s easy to see why Merlier is the odds-on favorite to win this race. Many of the best handicappers are also tabbing the Soudal Quick-Step cyclist to be the favorite in other races coming up within the next few weeks like Gent-Wevelgem and Ronde van Vlaanderen.

At +162 odds, there’s still value to be found with the rider who’s outsprinting the field on a consistent basis.

In three previous appearances at Brugge, Merlier finished on the podium all three times. He was 3^rd in 2020, won this race in 2022, and finished 2^nd last year.

Jonathan Milan (+225)

If there’s one man who has been as impressive as Merlier this season so far, it’s Jonathan Milan. The 24-year-old has matched Merlier’s six wins on the year but has also won two green jersey competitions as well.

Milan started off the year with two stage wins and a second-place result for the green jersey competition at the Volta a la Communitat Valenciana in early February.

He followed that up with two more victories, four total Top 3 finishes, and a points classification victory at the UAE Tour just two weeks later.

The Italian then shook up the field in the Tirreno-Adriatico with a 5^th in the opening time trial, two stage wins, and a first in the green jersey competition.

Although he didn’t perform as well in the Milan-San Remo last weekend, the Lidl-Trek sprinter is clearly on par with Merlier as the men to beat in Belgium on Wednesday. However, Milan will also have to shake off past failures in this race. His best result was 39^th in 2022.

Jasper Philipsen (+600)

As mentioned above, Jasper Philipsen enters this race having won the last two years in a row. He’s not only chasing after Merlier and Milan, but Philipsen is also chasing after history to become just the second rider to have ever won three Classic Brugge-De Panne races in a row.

The Alpecin-Deceuninck sprinter has had modest success this season so far. He started off the year with two Top 3 stage finishes at the UAE Tour. Unfortunately, his legs weren’t up to the level of other sprinters.

Philipsen then came up short at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad after finishing third overall. The next day, the Belgian sprinter went out and won Kuurne-Burssel-Kuurne and beat some of the top sprinters like Kooij, Milan, Demare, and Merlier.

Philipsen is coming off a crash at Nokere Koerse on March 19. So, it will be interesting to see how his form is for Brugge.

In his four appearances at Brugge, Philipsen has never finished off the podium. In addition to his consecutive wins, he also has a 2^nd in 2021, and a third in 2018.

With that said, I really like the value that Philipsen offers. He has the speed, experience, and team to compete with anyone in this race. Will we see a third win in a row for Philipsen?

Olav Kooij (+700)

Of all the “sprinters” I really like what I’ve seen from Olav Kooij. It seems that the 23-year-old is quickly evolving into the upper echelon of fast men of the sport.

Kooij won two stages and finished second in the green jersey competition at the Tour of Oman in February. He bailed on the UAE Tour before finishing 2^nd to Philipsen in the Kuurne-Brussel-Kurrne at the start of March.

Kooij went into Tirreno-Adriatico to help out teammates like Simon Yates. However, he showed off his speed with a tough Stage 4 win and two other Top 5 finishes. This resulted in a third-place finish for the green jersey.

The Dutch sprinter made the following comments about the start of his season:

“I am satisfied with my start to the season. After a good start in Oman I had a small setback, but I recovered strongly with my second place in Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne. The goal for Tirreno was to win a stage and I succeeded. That gives me a lot of confidence.”

When a sprinter is riding with full confidence, they are very dangerous and a threat to win any sprint stage. Kooij finished 5^th in Brugge in 2022. He followed that up with a 2^nd in 2023. It’s not hard to imagine the Team Visma-Lease a Bike sprinter picking up the win in De Panne on Wednesday.

The Best Classic Brugge-De Panne Betting Value

The following cyclists offer betting value based on their current Classic Brugge-De Panne odds, early season performances, and past success in this race:

Dylan Groenewegen (+2800)

Team Jayco AlUla sprinter Dylan Groenewegen has yet to win this year so far. However, he did pick up two second-place results in the AlUla Tour. But that was his best highlights of the season to date.

With that said, Groenewegen won the Classic Brugge-De Panne in 2019, and was second in 2022. Although he finished 24^th last year, the Dutch rider will have the support of his team to try and win in De Panne this week.

At 31, Groenewegen might not be at the top of the sprint hierarchy, but he’s still capable of pulling off a sprint win under the right circumstances.

Sam Welsford (+2800)

Australia’s Sam Welsford hasn’t competed in a month since the UAE Tour. It’s a bit surprising considering how great he looked at the start of the season.

Welsford came out on fire with three wins in Australian cycling races, and then three stage wins along with the green jersey in the Tour Down Under.

Speaking of his early success this year, Welsford shared his ambitions for the rest of the season:

“That’s something I want to build on this season and really use that confidence in bigger races, the Grand Tours, the WorldTour sprint races when there’s 10 of the best there and show you can be competitive.”

For Welsford, this will be his 4^th appearance in Brugge. He finished 26^th last year, which was a step down from his best result of 18^th in 2023.

If Red Bull Bora can get their lead-out train in position in the final two km, then I think Welsford has a strong chance at racing for the win; provided that his speed is at least as good as the Tour Down Under.  

Alberto Dainese (+3300)

The Italian cyclist seems to be improving with each race he enters. The 27-year-old is showing more speed and hanging with some of the best sprinters in the sport today.

A third on a stage in Paris-Nice, and an eighth at Nokere Koerse, has some pundits thinking that Alberto Dainese could be a sleeper at Brugge this week.

I need to see more from the Italian before thinking he will win. But if you are to go with what some of the so-called cycling experts are saying, then Dainese is a decent longshot bet in Belgium on Wednesday.

The Top Classic Brugge-De Panne Longshot

For me, I like Arnaud De Lie (+6600) as a more ideal longshot bet than Dainese. I also like him better than Groenewegen as well.

The 23-year-old has one win on the year as that came in the Tour du Gard in February. He did have three other Top 4 results following that race. Two of those came at Algarve.

This will mark his second appearance in Brugge, where the Lotto sprinter finished 8^th in 2022. And I believe he can improve on this mark.

The Belgian sprinter has battled illness over the last month, which resulted in his team pulling him from Milan-San Remo last weekend.

However, as of this writing, de Lie is expected to be healthy enough to take the starting line in Brugge on Wednesday.

Last year, de Lie finished as the Belgian road race champion and nearly double-digit wins. So, he has the form and speed to pull off the upset in his home country this week.

Classic Brugge-De Panne Predictions

Don’t blink or you might miss the finish to this race. With the sport’s top sprinters all aiming to add this prestigious sprint race to their resume, it’s going to be a thrilling finish in De Panne.

I think we’ll get an epic battle between Merlier, Milan, Welsford, Kooij, and Philipsen. I wouldn’t dismiss de Lie’s chances to win as well. But he needs to prove his form and health before we can bet with confidence. Otherwise, he’s only worthy of a very small flier.

I would love to see Welsford upstage the other fast men as the Australian seems to be overlooked when it comes to the top of the sprint pecking order. However, a month away from races has me slightly hesitant to take him over Merlier, Milan, Kooij or Philipsen.

I don’t ever count out Philipsen when it comes to a sprint, but I need to see that he’s recovered from his crash before betting with conviction on the two-time winner in this race.

I want Kooij to win and I think he has a real shot. However, Merlier and Milan have been so impressive this year, that it’s hard to pick against either of them.

With that said, I think that Milan and his Lidl-Trek squad have the best lead-out train at this point of the season. I’m taking the Italian to pick up his first win at the Classic Brugge-De Panne and to take the mantle as the top sprinter as we head into the spring season.

Bet: Jonathan Milan (+225)

Classic Brugge-De Panne Results

Belgian’s Eric Vanderaerden holds the record for the most all-time wins with five. There are a handful of cyclists who have won two races apiece including the back-to-back winner in Kasper Philipsen. It should come as no surprise that Belgium holds the record with 24 victories, while the Netherlands is second with nine wins.

The following is a list of the recent Classic Brugge-De Panne winners: