German sprint king Andrei Greipel took the opening stage of the Baloise Tour Of Belgium.
Stage one was a 194.2km stage from Lochristi, which was hosting the Tour of Belgium for the first time to the seaside resort of Knokke-Heist in a five stage race of 730.1kms first run in 1899 and once won by Sean Yeates.
Oliver Chevalier took the first sprint and he, along with Vermote, De Vreese and Uytterspro were in a four man break which had a lead of four minutes with 130kms to go.
This all Belgian group were still three minutes clear of a peloton which included race favourite Andrei Greipel, Phillipe Gilbert, Tom Boonen, Tony Martin and Fabian Cancellera with 94km remaining.
After Argo Shimano's Thierry Hupond abandoned, Europcar's Thomas Voeckler went down when his water bottle jumped out on the cobbles and jammed into his back wheel which locked up.
The Synergie Sprint was taken by Vermot as the quartet appeared in the sights of the Lotto Belisol led peloton, albeit with a 28 second lead.
The third checkpoint sprint did produce some interest and De Vreese sprint away to take the points.
With 38kms to go, De Vreese and Chevalier went off the front and crossing the finish line for the second time they were thirteen seconds clear after three hours and fifteen minutes of racing.
Thirteen kilometres later, De Vreese and Chevalier shook hands as they were engulfed by the peloton.
Jurgen Roelandts took the super sprint before the run in towards the sea front started.
Lotto Belisol took the riders into the final turn onto the sea front, trying to lead out Andrei Greipel who held off Tom Boonen and Sinkledam to win in a time of 4.32.46 and put on the leader's red jersey for tomorrow's Stage two from Knokke-Heist to Ninove, which is 181kms long.