The Spaniard Felipe Orts (Ridley Racing Team) took second place, the Dutchman Pim Ronhaar (Baloise Trek Lions) came third, ahead of the Belgian champion Eli Iserbyt (Pauwels Sauces Bingoal). It is the first World Cup victory for the Kempen native. It was also Vandeputte who took the holeshot. The Dutchman Lars van der Haar (Baloise Trek Lions) followed in second with, among others, Laurens Sweeck (Crelan-Corendon), Michael Vanthourenhout (Pauwels Sauzen-Bingoal), Ronhaar, Iserbyt and Orts. Vandeputte pulled ahead with a four-second advantage over the trio of Van der Haar, Vanthourenhout and Iserbyt into the second round. Orts and European champion Thibau Nys (Baloise Trek Lions) also joined that trio a little further away.
World Cup leader Vanthourenhout then separated himself from this group but crashed in the descent. He immediately joined again, just like Emiel Verstrynge (Crelan-Corendon) and Ronhaar. Vandeputte started the third lap with a lead of 22 seconds over Vanthourenhout, Orts and Iserbyt and 30 seconds on Ronhaar, Verstrynge, Van der Haar and Nys.
Vandeputte rode half a minute ahead of Orts and half cross Iserbyt while Vanthourenhout had once again crashed and dropped back to 6th place. Orts continued to hunt Vandeputte fiercely and closed within ten seconds. Iserbyt had meanwhile been joined by Ronhaar. Orts had messed up and resigned himself to Vandeputte’s supremacy in the final round.
Vanthourenhout, seventh in Hulst, remains the leader in the rankings with 124 points to his name. Toon Aerts (Deschacht-Hens) is second after his eighth place (96 points), Ronhaar is third (86 points).