Calendar revolution: Ronde van Brugge born, farewell to Classic Brugge-De Panne

A major novelty shakes up the WorldTour cycling calendar: from 2026 the Classic Brugge-De Panne, both men's and women's, will give way to a new competition called the Ronde van Brugge.

The new race will take place over two consecutive days: the men's race on Wednesday 25 March and the women's race on Thursday 26 March, thus maintaining the same timing as the current Brugge-De Panne.

The main change concerns the route: both the start and the finish will be located in Bruges, abandoning the historic coastal finish line of De Panne. A choice that also aims to reduce the dangerous falls that often characterized the final of the current version.

A solid and long-lasting project

Christophe Impens of organiser Golazo confirmed that the Ronde van Brugge has been added to the calendar until 2031: 'We are aiming for a strong and safe project, offering the best sprinters in the world the opportunity to shine in a WorldTour-level race.'

The race will maintain its strategic position in the spring classics calendar, preceding prestigious events such as the Tour of Flanders, the E3 Saxo Classic, Gent-Wevelgem and the Dwars door Vlaanderen.