Rider injuries force SD Worx-Protime out of Brugge-De Panne

SD Worx-Protime will miss Thursday’s Classic Brugge-De Panne due to rider shortages, the team confirmed on Monday.

A combination of injuries within the squad and having riders on training camp means that the team cannot field the requisite number of four riders for the WorldTour event, and will therefore skip it entirely.

"It is a big shame that we have to skip this classic," sports manager Danny Stam said. "Especially because of the crash in Danilith Nokere Koerse, some riders are still suffering from injuries now. With a few days of extra rest, they can recover fully again towards the big Classic appointments scheduled in the coming weeks."

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SD Worx’s provisional team for Brugge-De Panne was made up of Lorena Wiebes, Femke Gerritse, Barbara Guarischi, Christine Majerus and Femke Markus.

Despite finishing second at Nokere Koerse, Wiebes is one of the riders in the group of injured riders, and would have been a favourite for Brugge-De Panne, with SD Work lacking an obvious substitute for the Dutch rider.

“Lorena Wiebes was one of those victims in Nokere. Normally she would have been our spearhead in the Classic De Panne-Brugge. We hope to be able to start at full strength again Sunday in Gent-Wevelgem and compete for the win there again,” Stam added.

Those on training camp include Demi Vollering, who is not expected to return to racing until next Wednesday at Dwars door Vlaanderen. World champion Lotte Kopecky will return to action at Gent-Wevelgem, having made the trip to Italy for Trofeo Alfredo Binda, where she finished second.

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The Spring represents a busy time for the women’s peloton, with the calendar moving between Belgium, the Netherlands and Italy, and it is not uncommon for teams to opt to skip races, nor for squads to be hit by injuries.

Unlike in the men’s WorldTour, there are no races with mandatory participation for the Women’s WorldTour, with teams free to skip events of their choice without consequences. However, teams must field a minimum of four riders to start UCI races.

Currently, all 14 other WorldTour teams are set to race Brugge-De Panne.

Find the full provisional start list for the women's Classic Brugge-De Panne here.