Gullegem Koerse started with an impressive minute of silence for the Ludo Diericksens who died too early. Immediately afterwards Yves Lampaert chose the attack. Almost of course in the early flight,
In the company of Victor Vercouillie. They were company of four riders. Not the least: Dries Debondt and Stan Dewulf. The fast Milan Menten too and Iben Rommelaere. At 48 per hour, just start, they took forty seconds.
A little later that lead rose to a minute. Not that the peloton did nothing: Alpecin-DECEUNINCK kept the speed in it. In the front it went too fast for Milan Menten. Five leaders. With five more laps they also had 40 seconds.
The signal to accelerate. The Bondt tempo made on a sloping piece. For Rommelaere the light went out. And Vercouillie also had to bend the head. Ploegmaats Dewulf and Debondt rushed into the last laps with Lampaert. Lampaert could only become a record holder in Gullegem when winning. It was questionable whether the other two would let that happen. Dries de Bondt, very good in the intermediate sprints in the Giro, clearly calculated his sprint and went to post behind Lampaert in the final round. And in the last straight line, Deb Ondt also came out. He won the 81st Gullegem Koerse. For Lampaert and Dewulf, what have they been racing.