Caleb Ewan sprints to a satisfying victory

After a barrage of attacks, Thibau Verhofstadt, Yentl Vandevelde, Briton Jacob Scott, Australian Declan Trezise, ​​German Joshua Huppertz and Dutchmen Bram Dissel and Jasper Haest managed to set up an early breakaway. The seven quickly gathered a lead of more than four minutes.

With 50 kilometers to go, the lead had shrunk to two minutes, thanks to the riders of Soudal Quick-Step, Intermarché-Circus and Lotto Dstny who aimed for a bunch sprint.

At the start of the last local circuit, of 41.3 kilometres, the lead of the seven early breakaways had fallen to one and a half minutes. At the passage on the cobblestone zone of the Beerbosstraat, Verhofstadt lost touch with the leading group due to bad luck and we were left with six riders in the front. The peloton let that group swim ahead for a while, but everything melted together in the last four kilometers before the finish line. Haest was the last to struggle.

The bunch sprint announced long in advance was a fact. Caleb Ewan left everyone behind and thus booked his first victory of the season in the shirt of his team Lotto Dstny. He also won the Schwalbe Classic on January 14 in the jersey of the national team of Australia.

Ewan succeeds his teammate Arnaud De Lie on the honors list of the Van Merksteijn Fences Classic-GP Marcel Kint.