BMC's Philippe Gilbert won the De Brabantse Pijl - La Flèche Brabançonne race in the Ardennes region of Belgium.
The Classics season have moved out of Flanders to the Ardennes region for the De Brabantse Pijl - La Flèche Brabançonne, a 203.1km race from Leuven to Overijse, a race last year won by Peter Sagan who did not defend his title.
As soon as the flag was dropped, Perrig Quémeneur (Europcar), Mattia Pozzo and Giorgio Cecchinel (Neri Sottoli), Matthias Brändle (IAM), Christopher Williams (Novo Nordisk) and Kiel Reijnen (UnitedHealthcare) attacked.
Over the first climb of the day, the Rue de Hal which has an averge gradient of 4.9%, the escapers had a lead of 6.40 which dropped to 5.16 with 94kms remaining.
It had dropped further by the time of the three laps of a circuit that featured the cllimbs of the Hagaard, Hertstraat, Holstheide, Ijsklerdaam and Schavei.
This drop in time gap had been due to Lotto, Garmin Sharp and Omega Pharma Quick Step working hard to keep up a quick pace.and saw Van den Broeck and Vermote.shoot off the front of the peloton with 68 kilometres to go.
They were joined by nine others to form an eleven rider strong chasing group which was fifty seconds behind the escapers with less than fifty kilometres left to race.
Again, the hammer from the peloton went down and the chasers were caught and now the peloton was closing down on the escapers who were just twenty four seconds clear.with forty five kilometres left.
The attacks from the peloton continued as did one from Kiel Reijnen which saw him going solo with a circuit and a half to go.
He was caught by a chasing group with thirty kilometres left, allowed Gerrans, Leukemans, Brandle, Finetto, Serry and Haas to take over front running duties
Philippe Gilbert attacked out of the peloton which was seventeen seconds behind this group with going into the final twenty kilometres.
CCC Polsat, riding for Rebellin, were doing plenty of work and they made sure that all the attacks were over.
Every attack proved fruitless and the peloton was together going into the final kilometre.
Garmin-Sharp led the sprint out and it was Philippe Gilbert who came up to take the win, beating Michael Matthews and Tony Gallopin, followed by Geschke, Leukemans, Haas, Rebellin, Vermote, Reichenbach and Tsatevich.