Leading out the sprint for the Belgian national title, Sep Vanmarcke was denied the victory in the final metre as AG2R-La Mondiale's Oliver Naesen pipped him on the line.
The 28-year-old Cannondale-Drapac rider had tried to ride away from his breakaway companions Naesen, Jasper Stuyven (Trek-Segafredo) was third ahead of Jens Keukeleire (Orica-Scott) and Nathan Van Hooydonck (BMC) without success in the closing kilometres.
In the sprint for the line, Van Hooydonck was the first to move before Vanmarcke went long, only for Naesen to use his slipstream and take the win in a photo finish.
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"Sep started from far out and had a good gap. He did what I did in E3 Harelbeke, while I did what Greg did. I was in the slipstream and came over him on the line. Hopefully this is my breakthrough victory. I knew I was ready for it," Naesen said of his win.
Vanmarcke described the day's racing, explaining that he believed his best shot for victory would come from a late attack.
"My race was a city course, like a kermesse, with a lot of corners and a few cobbled sections. The entire race, all 5.5 hours, was stressful because you always had to be in position," he said in a team release. "The final opened after 190 kilometers, with 50 kilometers left. We got away with 17 riders. By the last lap, we where left with only five.
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