Wanty-Groupe Gobert took the start in Dwars door Vlaanderen without team captain Bjorn Leukemans, who unfortunately had fallen ill, but with a nonetheless ambitious team consisting of Tom Devriendt, Roy Jans, Mirko Selvaggi, Frederik Backaert, James Vanlandschoot, Marco Marcato, Boris Dron and Frederik Veuchelen.

Jelle Wallays (Topsport Vlaanderen-Baloise) won the 200-kilometre long race, Roy Jans was the first Wanty-Groupe Gobert rider to cross the line in 21st position.

It took a while before a breakaway broke clear but eventually a group got a gap with Jelle Wallays and Boris Dron. The nine leaders got a maximum lead of two and a half minutes.

"Everything went great and according to plan up till the Kwaremont. The race situation was as we had anticipated before the start," sports director Van Der Schueren declared.

Behind the breakaway there was a flurry of crashes in the peloton. From the Oude Kwaremont things turned sour for Wanty-Groupe Gobert.

"Mirko Selvaggi crashed and finished in the final group. Roy Jans had problems with his gearing, and that was on the Kwaremont which is a key moment in Dwars door Vlaanderen,” Hilaire Van der Schueren continues.

On the Eikenberg Wallays attacked and Dron couldn't follow anymore.

“I was in the breakaway so that was good for the team but I have to confess that the legs didn't feel too good anymore on the hills. When Wallays attacked, I was at the back of the group. I thought that it would come back together but it didn't and in the end he wins the race. He was very strong today," Dron explains.

Roy Jans was the best rider of the day for Wanty-Groupe Gobert finishing 21st. Upon arriving at the team bus, the faces of the riders showed the effort and exhaustion of a long day in horrific weather.

“In any case I hope the weather will be better on Friday, a bit warmer preferably because today was a very cold day," Dron concludes.

E3-Prijs Harelbeke on Friday and Gent-Wevelgem on Sunday are the next races of the Flemish Spring Classics series.

“I am leaving Roy Jans at home on Friday so he gets the chance to rest so he'll be ready for Gent-Wevelgem on Sunday. If he survives the Kemmelberg well, we stand a good chance for a nice result," Van Der Schueren concludes.