The peloton started the Flèche Brabançonne with a high pace. After almost two hours three riders got ahead. Lotto Soudal rider Thomas De Gendt was accompanied by Anthony Delaplace and Alex Kirsch. De Gendt obviously was the strongest in the breakaway. In the first of three laps of 23.4 kilometres with five hills he set the tempo on the Hagaard climb and Kirsch got dropped. Orica – GreenEdge led the peloton and with 39 kilometres to go it was over for De Gendt and Delaplace as well.

A few kilometres further Louis Vervaeke came to the front when he countered an attack of Tim De Troyer. Three others joined them. Soon Ben Hermans accelerated and David Tanner jumped along, so there were two leaders in the race. On the last ascent of the IJskelderlaan Hermans left Tanner behind. It was close, the chase group with Tony Gallopin finished at only two seconds of winner Hermans. Michael Matthews sprinted to the second place, ahead of Philippe Gilbert. Tony Gallopin was fourth today.

“The situation this year is different than last season, when I had taken part in some Flemish classics," Gallopin said. "Now I specifically prepared for the Ardennes classics. After Milan-Sanremo I took some rest, then I went on a training camp and last week I participated in the Vuelta al País Vasco.

"The legs felt good today. I tried a few times to escape from the chase group, but I didn’t succeed. I had the feeling Matthews shadowed me. The fourth place isn’t what I had hoped for, but it proves that my shapes is fine and it gives me confidence for the Ardennes races.”

“It was not very fun today," De Gendt said. "It took a while before a front group was formed, we had to fight eighty kilometres long. When I jumped away I hoped to get several riders with me, it stopped after two. Then you know it won’t be easy, although we worked together pretty well. We didn’t get much more than four minutes lead. The good thing was the team didn’t have to work in the peloton, that’s why my attack was useful after all.”