Daniel Oss finished third for the BMC Friday at E3 Prijs Vlaanderen-Harelbeke after being part of a five-man chase group that was unable to close the gap to winner Fabian Cancellara (RadioShack-Leopard), who soloed the final 35 km.

Oss matched his best result of the season by attacking his group inside the final km in a bid to snatch second place but Peter Sagan (Cannondale) caught him just before the line for the runner-up spot.

"I felt good during the week and today I was also feeling good," Oss said. "I waited until the moment in the race for the big men to make their move. Yesterday [Thursday], I looked at the parcours so knew where I could go in front. I gave my best."

When one of the decisive moves was made on the climb of the Taaienberg with 62 km to go, Oss was the only BMC rider who could follow it. "He made a good move when Cancellara and Tom Boonen [Omega Pharma-Quick Step] went on the attack," BMC Racing Team Assistant Director Fabio Baldato said. "I told him to stay quiet and stay on the wheels. I was hoping Greg Van Avermaet or Philippe Gilbert would come back to the front."

With Oss riding as part of a 12-man leading group, Cancellara attacked on the cobblestoned climb of the Kwaremont and quickly gained 30 seconds that stretched to 49 with 25 km to go. Oss and the four remaining in the chase – Sylvain Chavanel (Omega Pharma-Quick Step), Sebastien Langeveld (Orica-GreenEDGE), Sagan and Geraint Thomas (Sky Procycling) – narrowed the gap to 48 seconds with 8 km to go but could get no closer. Oss, who is new to the BMC Racing Team this year, also finished third on Stage 2 of the Tour du Haut Var last month. Baldato said he was happy to see Oss rewarded for the work has done in service to others at other races. "He's done good work to help his teammates and finally had his own opportunity to make a result himself," he said.