He left his fellow escapee Marcus Hansen behind on the last climb of Nokereberg. Bas Van Belle finished third.

A UCI 1.1 race for juniors over …122 kilometers with more than a portion of cobblestones under the wheels, was not all that the 153 starters had to endure. Wind, rain and cold made for real Flemish weather, making it a very tough race in which barely 63 of the 153 starters finished. Favorites like Luca De Meester and Remco Evenepoel could not fulfill this role.

A quartet of leaders dominated the race and remained out of the clutches of the peloton. And yet Ilan Van Wilder of Van Moer Cycling Team was still able to shake off his fellow escapees and achieve a victory with a 13-second bonus over the Dane Marcus Hansen and the Dutchman Bas Van Belle. Immediately the 2nd victory for Ilan who also won Opwijk-Mazenzele last week.

Ilan Van Wilder from Opwijk was delighted after the race:

“Early in the race I was in a crash. The damage was not too bad, but I still had to chase for quite a while. About 35km from the finish, teammate Xandres Vervloesem rides away with 2 other riders. A little later I ride all alone to the front runners. So we were with 2 teammates in the lead. In the last lap Xandres and Tim Marsman had to drop out and I was alone with the Dane. I didn’t want to wait for the sprint so I decided to attack just before the Nokereberg cobblestones. I eventually arrived solo. A victory that I will remember for a long time!”