SD Worx has been forced to pull out of the upcoming Classic Brugge-De Panne due to multiple rider injuries, particularly after a crash at Nokere Koerse injured Lorena Wiebes and Chantal van den Broek-Blaak.
“It is a big shame that we have to skip this classic. Especially because of the crash in Danilith Nokere Koerse, some riders are still suffering from injuries now,” said sports manager Danny Stam.
“With a few days of extra rest, they can recover fully again towards the big classic appointments scheduled in the coming weeks.”
Wiebes was one of the favourites for the Classic De Panne-Brugge, having won the race in 2020 and stood on the podium in three previous editions.
“Lorena Wiebes was one of those victims in Nokere. Normally, she would have been our spearhead in the Classic De Panne-Brugge,” Stam said.
“We hope to be able to start at full strength again Sunday in Gent-Wevelgem and compete for the win there again.”
Lotte Kopecky replaced Wiebes on the roster at Trofeo Alfredo Binda. However, the team stated that due to rider injuries and the fact that other riders are currently at a team camp, there are no reserves available to race Classic De Panne-Brugge.
Classic De Panne-Brugge will field a top-tier roster nonetheless, with potential winners in Charlotte Kool (Team dsm-firmenich PostNL), Elisa Balsamo (Lidl-Trek) Arlenis Sierra (Movistar), Chiara Consonni (UAE Team ADQ), Maggie Coles-Lyster (Roland) and Maike van der Duin (Canyon-SRAM).
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